Journey to Europe: The Preface

Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy. - Eskimo Saying

In the time leading up to leaving for Europe many people have come up to me and expressed their excitement of traveling to a different country by asking a silly question like, "Are you excited to be going out of the country?" Or they would say, "You are so lucky to be able to have the opportunity to go to different countries with your family." Which I am, but my family and I wouldn't be able to go on this trip if it wasn't for them being working parents and for my grandparents, Carl and Lorna Montgomery.

My Grandparents loved to travel wither it may be a station wagon with wood looking panels on a Sunday drive exploring the Lake Michigan coastline - And grandpa loved to take Sunday drives - Ending up at the House of David for a train ride and ice cream. (Grandpa lived for chocolate ice-cream.)

Or a Holiday Rambler Travel Trailer and took my mom and uncle on camping trips exploring Michigan, Tennessee and Florida. They even joined a camping club and went with other families to Frankenmuth and even the Upper Peninsula. Eventually my mom and uncle became teenagers and camping became annoying to them but not to grandpa and grandma they kept on exploring.

Or motor home the got to borrow from grandpa's boss called the Cortez. Which he lent to my Grandparents and family to take their first long road trip to Florida. One year they took a Cruise to Alaska one year and loved it.  Grandpa and Grandma loved to drive and explore the United States. They always wanted to travel out of the country together, my grandpa got to from being in the army, but they never got to go together. My Grandfather's health decreased and he had a bad heart.
In 2010 my grandmother was diagnosed with non hodgkin's lymphoma, with a mass in her abdomen. She was strong and got through chemotherapy. One night in May of 2011, less than a month from my high school graduation my grandmother had a spell and was admitted into the hospital. While she was in the hospital my Uncle who lives in Florida looked after my grandpa.

Since Grandma had been sick, she was not able to take care of my grandpa. A week or two went by and my Grandpa's health got worse and on the 16th of May he passed away in his sleep at my Uncle's house.
My Grandparents had been married for 53 years when my grandpa passed. My Grandma knew it was his time and was sad, but she still fought on to get better. Eight days later I was getting ready for my awards ceremony where I received an award achievement for my work in 3-D. My family got an early morning phone call from my Uncle saying my Grandmother had passed away in the night in her sleep.
The story my family came up with was that Grandpa wanted to get heaven ready for grandma and be there for her when she got there. And that there love was so strong that it brought them there together in a weeks time. 

My family and I are so blessed that we get to go on this trip to Europe, because my grandparents enabled us to and wanted us to. They wanted to see the world and they will get to through us with them in our hearts. There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel the presence of my Guardian Angels. 

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” 

― Thomas Campbell