Journey ends... Celebration begins for Eric

... and what a 4th of July party will be happening in heaven today. Today at 10:43 Eric passed on in a very quiet way. "Quietly" again is the word that came to mind this morning as I sat with Eric by myself. I left his side for a minute and when I returned, he was gone. I reminded him earlier that it was the 4th of July and that I thought he should go to heaven to shoot off the fireworks and join the party. A day of independence... Eric is free from pain and the battle is over.

I went back to the beginning of Eric’s journey to reread the first blog posting on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2008. I seldom returned to the older postings to reread all of the stops and goes that happened along the way. I remember many of the stops without looking but I’m sure that there are entries that would remind me of tough days I’ve already forgotten. I know that in the midst of those days, there were also blessings. Eric always reminded me when I started a blog entry that the most important thing that he wanted to say was that his faith remained strong and that God is good all the time. When Eric started this journey, we knew the prognosis was 3 to 5 years and now 3 years later, he has been healed eternally. And from June 2008, 3 years ago when we suspected that Eric was seriously ill, we have known that God would never forsake him. Eric was faithful through the best of times and the worst of times. He often told me that my faith encouraged him but I know that I was encouraged by his faith as well. It was my privilege to walk beside him on this journey.

Being at the hospice care facility, I had a lot of time to reflect and remember how this journey affected our family. We spent more time together. Happiness was found in little things each day. We enjoyed a family vacation to the Smokey Mountains, a little weekend trip to our favorite spot, Hocking Hills and a 20th wedding anniversary trip to Maine. Eric raised his children for 3 years knowing that the words he said and the time he spent with them was important. I know personally that we had 3 years of marriage that brought us closer together than if this had not happened. All of the things that we took for granted were important to us. We knew that every day was a gift and that they had to happen one at a time. Slowing our lives down made us aware of how precious every moment is with those we love. In the past I have seen others go through tragedy and wondered where their strength came from. I know now first hand that in our weakness and though pain and suffering, we are made strong through our faith in Jesus Christ.

One of Eric’s fears in his final weeks was that he would be forgotten. I assured him that Eric Grisier could never be forgotten. I will have memories of many special times just him, and me, times together as a family and fun times with friends. He seldom did anything without whistling or singing a song. He remembered lyrics of songs that would speak to a moment. He had a smile that was contagious. He was the life of the party and knew how to “work the room”. Eric was always ready to share words of wisdom or take an opportunity to teach Emily and Adam a life lesson. He was never lost for words and he made sure everyday that he said, “I Love you” at least one time and the second time he would ask “have I told you today how much I love you”. At bedtime, his good night words were “God bless you, sleep tight, Jesus loves you”. He was a man of his word, a protective husband and father and a “best friend” to many. Eric enjoyed working at Bard for 27 years and took great pride in the company, grateful for the many opportunities that he was given. He often talked about “his girls at Bard” and how he would tell them how wonderful his wife was. I figured that they were rolling their eyes but I have to admit, I couldn’t ask for anyone to love me more than Eric did. He enjoyed his church family at St. Martin’s and the worship times we had together. The list could go on and on for a very long time and many of you can add things to my list… even things that I am not aware of from his childhood, teenage years and early adulthood. When I hear some of the stories from those “before Gwen” years, I smile and imagine how much fun they must have been for family and so many friends.

I could just write forever but I won’t. My intentions were to bring this blog to an end and to express my love and pay tribute to a wonderful man who brought so much joy into my life. Emily and Adam have so much of Eric in them and I will always have him with me through them. I know that if there is a way to get a hug from heaven, Eric will find it. Knowing Eric’s determination, I could imagine him finding a way to audibly speak to us from heaven. We joked that God would have to clear his agenda for 2 days when Eric came through those pearly gates so that he could ask all of the questions that he had when he left this life. He told us that he was going to go ahead and “get it all dialed in”. What a party is must be in heaven today.

God bless all of you for your prayers and support these part 3 years. We all have a lot of adjustments to make now and finding the next normal will take time. But as Eric taught us all so well, we will do that by the grace of God one day at a time looking forward to the eternal reunion in heaven. That has to bring a smile… Gwen