My grandparents were a joyful part of my life for all of the years I was lucky to have them here.
When my parents were being too strict or forceful, they would remind me that life is bigger than their problems and gave me a safe environment to go to whenever I needed a change of pace.
But when I reached high school, we learned the horrible news that my grandfather was diagnosed with leukemia. He survived for a year longer than the doctors expected because of the multiple rounds of chemotherapy, but he finally gave his last goodbyes when I was 17 before passing away in his sleep peacefully one evening. It was horrible to lose my loving grandfather, but I felt incredibly grateful for the hours of time I was able to spend with him over the previous 17 years. Sadly, my grandmother faced a similar fate when she was diagnosed with bone cancer a few years later. She held on longer than my grandfather because her cancer was found in an earlier stage, but she still passed away within three years of her diagnosis. Since my parents had just recently purchased a brand new house and my grandparents had no other surviving children to pass their house down to, I was surprised to learn that I inherited their old house. And if the economy hadn’t tanked I would have never considered selling my inherited house. I didn’t want to sell my house fast for cash, nor did I want to sell my house with a realtor involved because of the closing fees. I found a private buyer and sold my inherited house after reaching an agreement on the price.