3.

3 words.
Three fingers that were held up every single time we left him.
I Love You.

Over the past few weeks my patience, brain, emotions, health, faith, and every part of me has been tested.

But one thing never ceased to amaze me and that one thing was the amount of love that my family has received.

What kind of love, you ask?
Well there are many definitions of love and many ways love can be shown to others.

-Love is when you put other's needs before your own
-Love is when you drive or fly from out of state to be with your best friend because you know she needs you...whether she admits it or not.
-Love is when a church is filled with 803 people over 2 days waiting nearly 2 hours to say just how much your papa meant to them
-Love is sitting there holding hands with your family while they cry
-Love is bringing food over and sitting there to visit just because you don't want them to be alone
-Love is driving out of your way for lunch with your best friend just to talk for 2 hours because you know she just needs you to listen
-Love is going out to have a margarita in honor of papa because you know he wouldn't want us crying over him.
-Love is doing everything in your power to make someone smile
-Love is when you sit there and take the anger without arguing back even though you know they don't mean it.
-Love is showing compassion and strength when others need you to be strong for them

and most importantly

Love is being good to people whether you think they deserve it or not, because being good to people is best thing you can do.

Papa always told me that.

"be good to each other, because one day, the two of you are all you're gonna have left"

Every single time my brother and I would fight he would tell us that.

He wanted us to love each other (not that I don't love my brother already).

I lost 2 really important people within 12 hours of each other. Both my papa and Meeme were wonderful, compassionate, honest, and loving human beings.

If I could be half of the person that each of them were, I would be happy. They were both so proud of us all. One thing that I was so impressed with was how they treated others. They not only treated others with respect, but they saw the best in them. They believed in them and they loved them.

Papa loved his students.
Want to know how I know?
They came to his memorial and visitation.
They wrote him letters about how he thought they would go somewhere in life when others didn't, they signed their safety glasses and put them on the table next to a picture of him, and one student who had just earned his eagle scout pin gave it to my grandmother because papa was the reason he had made it this far.

I'm so honored and proud to call him my grandfather.

Meeme loved all of her grandchildren and was so proud to see them succeed at what they had set their minds to. She loved Pop so much. I remember just seeing them look at each other and joke about how crazy the other one was. That's what 50+ years together will do to you. But boy did he love her right back.

Papa loved mommalane from the first day he saw her, well that's what he told me at least.

To know how much the two of them loved me and how proud they were of me, is just amazing.

They surrounded themselves with people they loved and who loved them in return.
That's what we need to do.
We need to not only be good to one another, but we need to love and support each other.

Papa told me that that's what I needed to do.
Now, I'm challenging you.

I for one couldn't have made it through these last few weeks without my friends or family. I don't know how I made it through exams, classes, driving back and forth every weekend...actually, I do. It was the phone calls and texts from my friends. It was me, knowing that I needed to be strong for my family, and it was knowing that no matter what, I had people who loved me...rooting for me.

I now have two more guardian angels up there in my corner.

This song has been stuck in my head for days (don't laugh at me...yes...it's the friends theme song)

"your mother warned you there'd be days like these. But she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees and I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour. I'll be there for you like I've been there before. I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too."

I pinky promised papa I would love and look out for my brother and cousins no matter what.
I don't break pinky promises.

Every day is a good day...
When you're loving each other and you're there for each other.

Can you pinky promise me that you'll do just that?