Lovely Heritage

In India with Ammachi and Appachan in '05

I’m having one of those days where it’s hard for me to focus. I’ve had so much going on in the past week that I’ve hardly had any time to just sit and think. So, sometimes, like today, I sit and think and sometimes that thinking takes me places in the past.

A week ago today I was in Nashville and I got a call saying that “appachan” passed away. I was in the middle of a conference, so I couldn’t really wrap my brain around it…I waited till I was in my room that night to think about him and to let the tears fall on my pillow.

Appachan is the only grandfather I’ve known in my life. My biological grandfathers were both gone by the time I arrived on the earth. Appachan became my grandfather when  I got married in ’93.  He was so sweet and so kind and always, always so loving to me.  He really was what I imagined a grandfather to be. He had a smile that would light up the room and his bellowing, “God Bless You! and How are you?” would make us all smile… partly because those were 2 of the only statements he knew in english and partly because he thought it was funny to see our reaction to his speaking in English.

He would call me Krissy Poo and he would hold my hand a little longer than he had to…because he wanted to. He wasn’t the typical Indian Appachan who didn’t show emotion. No, as a matter of fact, you knew and everyone around him knew that he loved his children, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. He loved us and prayed over us…We loved him and we all wanted to see him smile. 

I’m sad that my children won’t get to see him now and they might not remember him, or his sweet smile, but they will know that he was an integral part of my life, but more importantly that he was part of the foundation of their heritage of faith.