I chose a piece from KeepMoments, and it means everything to me to carry my late grandfather with me always, wherever I go.
My grandfather and I shared a bond that was difficult for others to fully understand. As a child I was devoted to him, and I was always his favourite grandchild. We did everything together and were an inseparable team. Not a day passed when we did not see each other. He was there for me throughout my entire life, without condition, through school, my youth ceremony, my vocational training, learning to drive, and so many wonderful moments in between. As I grew older I watched him begin to age, and it was immediately clear to me that there was no question and no burden in it, he had always been there for me, so I would be there for him. I was at his side until his very last breath.
I remember that he was very skilled with his hands and loved working in the garden. As a child I spent most of my time with him in his workshop in the cellar or out in the garden. He always wore his "Blaumann", a blue fabric dungaree. It is for that reason I chose to have a piece of that fabric worked into my KeepMoments memorial piece, along with his short grey hair, which was so much a part of how I recognised him.
A memorial piece with a personal engraving
In early 2021, he received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. My world broke apart. I knew from that moment it would not be easy, because the bond between us was unlike anything others had ever quite understood.
It was his last wish to be cremated, and so from the very beginning I knew that his ashes would one day form the heart of my memorial piece. He was a police officer with his whole soul, well into old age. That is why I also chose a pendant with an engraving, bearing a very old photograph from his years in the police force.
I wear the bracelet with pride. Because even though my grandfather left me suddenly, he is still very close to me. Not only in my memory, but as a daily companion in my life, in the form of this memorial piece.
You are missed, Grandpa. But KeepMoments has brought a piece of you back very close to me. Thank you for that.
