On the morning of November 18, Martin answered the phone to hear from his mother that his father had died. The tears still erupt at the thought of it in this house and probably will for a long time to come. Rick was, everybody will say, very kind. Kindness seemed to be his natural inclination and not something he worked at. Optimism touched every aspect of his life, it seemed. A rainy day on a canoe trip wouldn't get him down... it's the perfect excuse to read and play cards. That night he couldn't sleep because of his sore joints, he was happy for the couple of hours he managed to rest on the couch. He got along so well with so many different types of people, I think, because he always attributed to them the best intentions. I only knew him for 5 years, but I always looked forward to seeing him and, in more recent years, it was a pleasure to see him interact so easily with Elsie and Arthur.
We wish, as hard as we could possibly wish, that he had been able to have a greater influence on their lives. There were just so many things we were excited about doing with him as a family: canoe trips, hikes in the woods, carpentry projects, shared books and movies, hearing him pass on silly songs from his youth. Rick was so patient with Elsie, allowing her to take her time with answers when they were talking, and he had that special ability to let Elsie take the lead in their play. She loved to take him upstairs and show him her room where they read many bedtime stories.
We will tell the kids about Grampa Rick and try to foster what memories Elsie may now have. Just the other day, she put the blocks in the formation that Grampa Rick taught her a year and a half ago and said "that's how Grampa Rick did it." Two semi circles placed together, with two bridges wrapped around them. It's such a shallow memory compared to what could have been. As much as we mourn what has been lost, we must also honour Rick by introducing Elsie and Arthur to his passions in good time, and, most importantly, remembering to be kind.
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