My father has always been there for me and has been incredibly supportive and caring for me. We are close and spend a reasonable amount of time together doing things such as golf, baseball, visiting my grandparents, and playing hockey. Whenever he would drive me to places, we would listen to music. There are many songs that I remember him showing to me and telling me about. "Champaign Supernova," "Wonderwall," and "Live Like You Were Dying" are just a few that I can remember. One song, though, sticks out in my mind: "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw. This song shares an excellent example of how to live. My dad would tell me, "Live by this song." 

When my grandma was moved to an Alzheimer's unit at a nursing home, my father would visit her a lot, and sometimes I would tag along with him. It was tough to see her in such a deteriorating condition; each time I saw her, she would remember less and less of me. I was pretty young while this was happening, so it put much strain on me, making it hard to see her. I would see less and less of her, and as I did, she forgot more and more until she was at the end of hospice care. She was not awake for this period of her life.  She was given medicine to help her sleep, but it was incredibly hard to see her this way. She was motionless on a bed, sleeping. My entire family went to see her and say our goodbyes. I was hesitant to see her when I was there because I could not bear to see her this way. 

When she died, I felt as if I did not get to have a proper goodbye. I looked back at all the time I could've spent with her and regretted not being there. I felt like she died not knowing who I was anymore. She was the person who helped to take care of me when I broke my leg and was the most loving, caring person in the world, and I felt like I did not say goodbye. This was very hard on me, but my dad was there for me. He was there to help me through this difficult time. I am incredibly thankful for this, as it brought me closer to him. We would often drive together, whether to play golf or go to a store. As we drove, we would listen to music. We listened to everything from rock to grunge to country.

One of the songs that I heard was "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw. The lines "Visit grandpa every chance that you can, It won't be wasted time, Always stay humble and kind" resonated with me. I had experienced the loss of my grandma and understood this line. I told my dad about this, and whenever he visited his father, I would tag along to visit my grandpa. I spent much time with my grandpa at his apartment, watching the Twins game, a TV show, or a movie. I had a lot of good memories with him at that time. 

When he died, I was distraught and saddened, but looking back, I had a lot of good memories with him and have no regrets about my relationship with my grandpa. The song says, "Don't take for granted the love this life gives you." I also understand that because I never took anything for granted regarding my grandparents. I regret not seeing my grandma more, but I never took what I had for granted. 

Now, only my mother's parents are alive, and I make sure that I always have time to visit them and talk to them. I want to make lasting memories with them and not regret any time I did not spend with them.