My grandfather, Pete O'Donnell, had a stroke due to Being a Achoholic..This wasn't a big surprize to me because my grandpa had been "ill" for a long time.My Grandma, Lola O'Donnell, had married him when she was 16, I don't know how old he was... When they got married My grandpa immediatly went to the war to support his love.He got his training somewhere in monteray, california which was close to where they lived 50 years ago(they still live in Citrus Heights today).After his training they shipped him off to Okinawa then Korea or something and served as a Guard at a sentry, im not sure.But One night , late at night when he was watching, someone was watching him too.Their had been a sniper in one of the bushes.When the sniper fired from hiding it shot right through my Grandpa petes' knee, some of the other guards finally shot the sniper and and my grandpa was sent back home to Sacramento, california where his love ,Lola, was waiting pregnant with their first child, Marla, the first of my Mom and two Aunts.When he got back, a house was waiting, new and empty of memories.Togther they bought land and when he served in the war my grandma hired people to build the house.Togther they raised Marla faye and had two other little girls;Dayna kay and Gloria May(My mom).They brought the kids up well;all Beautiful, intelligent, and gifted.But Something went wrong along the line.The two older sisters never got along with Gloria, the youngest.This separated the sisters for many years and the reason why wouldn't be discovered for another many years.When the little girls, now adults with nurses licenses, collage degrees, and Beauty licences, had families of their own.Marla married Michael oxley and had a single daughter, Erin.Dayna married Jerry Steinbrecher and had 2 children with him;Ryan and Lindsey who are now 15 and 19.She divorced him becuase of her reasons.Earlier she had a child with Andrew, a boyfriend and had her first child Vanessa O'Donnell.Vanessa didn't get to find out who her father was until she was a few years older, this tore her up, but she's toughed it out.Gloria got married to mike Tilly but divorced him.Then had 2 children with Barry Holmes; Holly(me) and Meghan;13 and 12.They never got married but she wanted to badley.They separated in1995 when i was in kindergarden due to arguing and fighting constantly.In 2000, My mom had a child with Frank Alan;Janae lauyren.She decided to not let janae see her real father becuase he was a convict from prison.Janae still doesn't know her real father, she thinks my father is hers too, poor nay-nay...2
After having they stroke, he was disabled on the right side of his body.My grandma made a room for him in the old living room and took care of him for about 5 months, I forgot >_<.One day my grandpa fell out of bed and had another stroke.He was rushed to the hospital.We got the news, the family had to decide to let him go or let him stay alive with no brain waves.That night the family was circled around the bed in the hospital watching the resperator inflat and deflat my grandpa Petes lungs.Its was so sad, watching him suffer.We all cried, we had to let him go. We were the first to leave.my sister and my mom, who was the closest to him.She wanted him so badley to believe in god.She stood over him carassing his forehead telling him to "give into the light daddy...give into the light...its going to all be ok..its gonna be ok.."She sobbed with her eyes closed.The last one at the hospital was vanessa.He took her in when dayna was too young to take care oif her when she was born at age 14.He was her daddy too....She went downstairs after awhile but before she came back, he was in heaven and wasn't suffering anymore.3
The funural was across from my school.I can still remeber his with the make-up on his face.It wasn't him, it was someone else, like they chopped someone elses head off and stuck it on his body.I didn't cry.I just observed the crying.I didn't want to cry. He was dead and happy now, in heaven with jesus.I was strong I guess...After the funeral we went to the cemetary where we buried him.2 people from the marines or something gave an american flag to my grandma.and when he sunk into the groundI took my necklace off and threw it into the casket.My sister threw in a poem that wasn't very good, but every word had deep soulful Emotion.Very very deep emotions...4
I had bad dreams about his casket being at the head of my bed for days.A year afterwards my mom got the strenghth to see him at the cemetary.I didn't have the strength, but my sisters did.5
I sat in the car and listened to new country music, which wasn't good becuase country music comes from the soul, it was practicly calling me to talk to him.I wouldn't though, i talked to him through pray, wishes and hopes..not to a gravesite, no, not me.I finally got out out to stretch my legs, when nay-nay wanted to go for a walk, so we did.I walked all the way to the end of the graveyard which was HUGE.until we got to a kind of construction site where dirt was piled on one side and gravel at the other.Grassland was as far as i could see, and the sun was setting.I was about to go back when my sister started playing in the dirt, i called for her to come, but I gave up.I started at the sun and grassland.I felt alone.I started crying, not really crying, but tears just flowed from my eyes.I told him a was sorry that i didn't see him very often, and i don't try very hard, but I loved him.I was just scared of the man down the hall that limped when he walked.I just didn't know what happened to you until you were gone.I cried into the sunset.i feel on my knees and hugged them and rocked back and forth punishing myself for nothing.I got up and looked at the grassland fot one last time, I would never come back here in my life I vowed.I wiped my tears and noticed something odd.A group of crows and magpies.Normal birds rights?Not to me.A ran after them, hating them.But something flew over my head, a white dove, a single dove.It was an omen.My grandpa was 6 feet ahead of me.I crept toward it and got a foot away from it before it flew over to a fish pond......3 feet away from m y grandpas grave where my mom and sister Meghan Sat talking to him.I knew that Day my grandpa was free....Free as a Single White Dove freed from A cage of Suffer and pity.6
*This Story/Poem is dedicated to my family and My Grandpa Pete.Thanking all the things they have done for me
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