Day #171 in A Year of Thanks:
I’m thankful for the beautiful day I had at Knoebels with Grams.

Today is the 3rd anniversary of when my bio dad passed away. My heart hurts, and I miss him like crazy, and I thought about him a lot this morning when Grams and I decided to take a trip up to Knoebels to have a day of fun. Dad loved this park as much as we do. I knew that if he could have a say in the matter, he would have wanted us to go to the park and have a good time, not only for us, but for him as well. So, in his honor, we went and had as much fun as we could.

It turns out that Grams was having so much difficulty enjoying simple rides, like the Sky Ride, as it severely affected her equilibrium. Over the years, she has been giving up more and more rides, and now she is down to only being able to take the train ride through the woods, and even that bothers her knee with the titanium plate in it. After we sat down on a bench, her eyes welled up with tears. Then, with defeat in her voice, she told me she’s done coming to the park. We didn’t stay too long after that, but on our way out, we both thanked the park for all the beautiful memories and fun times we had over the years. I know at some point, I’ll probably return to Knoebels, but it won’t be with Grams. There’s a certain finality to that which brings tears to my eyes, but I fully respect Grams’ decision to stop going. I will always be thankful for all the beautiful memories I had there, not only with her but also with many others, like my mom and dad.

Day 170 | Day 171 | Day 172
Year of Thanks