important moment in my life

When I was a kid I absolutley loved my grandfather. I called him PawPaw. He was probably the greatest man I have and will ever know. He would help me with my reading skills. He taught me how to drive a John Deer Gator at the age of 6. He taught me how to check the oil in his old, red, Ford, pickup truck at the age of 12. We would take walks down the gravel driveway to the mailbox and stop at the Persimmon tree and eat some. We would sit out on the wooden deck and drink coffee while he pointed out all the different kinds of birds while a cool breeze ran through the wind chimes. We would walk around the backyard and pick up all the pecans that had fallen from the giant Pecan trees. I would sit with him in the barn as he would fix his enormous John Deer tractor that was the size of a monster truck. Needless to say this man, Hilton Bernard Caston, was my hero, my best friend, my PawPaw. When I was about 8, he had a stroke that he never fully recovered from. At the time I didn't really understand what was happening or what he was going through. A couple of years after his stroke signs of Dementia started to appear and pretty soon it came in full force. Some days he would be that awesome loving man and others he couldn't remember my name. If my grandmother, Nanny, had to go run errands, he couldn't stay home alone for long periods of times because he would  forget to eat and wouldn't be able to do things on his own. When I was in seventh grade he was about 82 years old. Toward the end of the school year, my mother got a call from my aunt, her sister Cindy, that their father had a heart attack. My mom got this call while I was in school and my dad came and picked me up. He took me to Shipley's and I got a blueberry iced cake donut. As I was eating this amazing creation, I was told this earth shattering news.  I remember thinking that I should be there with him, I needed to be there with him. PawPaw was hospitalized for four days and during those four days I remember begging my parents to let me go, but I never got the chance. On the fourth day, April 12, 2009, my best friend passed away. I don't know if I can fully explain to you how I felt. What I can tell you is that I cried for what seemed like a lifetime. I didn't know that the body could produce so many tears. I didn't know one could feel that way. I pray none of y'all would ever have to go through something like this and if you have, you're a trooper.