| For The Cutbirth Grandkids... Amanda, Dakota, Kaytlynne, Gregory, Julia, Kyle, Taylor and Morgan. I had this poem called Child of my Child, it was given to me by a friend of our family when I was a teenager. I can't even remember now why she gave it to me, but I always liked it, so I kept it. A few days after Grampa died, I was going through some boxes of old pictures, looking for anything I could find with Grampa's face, when I came across this poem. I hadn't seen it, or read it in a few years. So I took it out of the box and started reading it. And it all hit me like a brick wall. I never knew how much it would mean to me, and how symbolic it would be to our family, until we lost Grampa. I hope it will mean something to all of you when you are older and have hopefully made peace with losing your Grampa. |
| Oh, child of my Child Hope of my Hopes Dream of my Dreams You are born of my past En route to your future Even though you will learn what I only imagined Grow wise in things I only guessed Let me share this space and place with you Only then can I trust the future, I will not live to see For no matter what riches I amass in this world You, the Child of My Child Are my truest legacy ~Unknown~ |
| "Oh Child of my Child", to me, that means, the eight of you. You are all a child of Grampa's children, his grandchildren. And nothing meant more to him than seeing, and knowing, and loving each one of you. "You are born of my past, en route to your future", We, your Mom, your Aunts and Uncles, were born in Nana and Grampa's past, and the eight of you, are the future of our family, and so will be your children, and grandchildren. "Let me share this space and place with you", Nothing meant more to Grampa than his family. We were everything to him. And he wanted to share his life, his home, and everything he could offer, with all of us. His home was always open to everyone. And we always knew, even if we didn't want to ask, that anything we needed, whether he had it or not, he would do his best to help all of us. "Only then can I trust the future, I will not live to see", This part hit me really hard. None of us, ever in a million years thought that Grampa wouldn't always be here. We thought he was invincible, that he would outlive us all. But we all have to know, that even if he isn't here, where you can all hug him, and jump up on his lap, that he is here in our hearts, and will always be. He is only a breath away, and you can still talk to him, just like when he was here, but you have to listen more carefully for his answer now. And he was put here on this earth, to love us all, and he still does. "For no matter what riches I amass in the world", material things never meant much to your Grampa. It didn't matter if he had a thousand dollars in the bank, or only a dollar. He was so humble and giving. He could have been a millionaire, and it wouldn't have changed him. He had a family that he cherished, and to him that was worth more than anything money could buy. No matter how much or how little he had, he always knew there were people who had less, and he was grateful for everything he did have. "You, the Child of My Child are my truest legacy", Each one of you, is a part of your Grampa. It doesn't matter if you have the last name Cutbirth, as long as you know what the name stands for. When you think of the name Cutbirth, think of the bond our family has. Nothing means more than family. It doesn't matter if some of you grow up and have fancy jobs and other's don't, or if some of you make millions of dollars, and the other's dont. You are all a part of the Cutbirth Legacy, you are part of your Grandparents, and your parents, and nothing in this world will ever mean more than that, and none of you should ever forget that. No matter what you do in life, if you are happy with yourself, your Grampaa will be proud of all of you. He loved you all more than anything in this world, and you all need to remember that and carry it with you for the rest of your lives. Take all of your memories of him, and pass them on to your children. He has given each one of you something that you can take with you. You all have the Cutbirth temper, some of you got his dimples, and others got his stubborness. You all have his huge, caring heart, and his kindness for others. Don't let his memory fade. It is our job now to keep his memory alive. And to pass on his legacy... Always, always remember how much he loved you, and be grateful that he told each one of us that everyday... I love all of you.... Love, Your Mom and Aunt Kelly |
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