“I Love You” Is The Most Beautiful Phrase In The English Language

I wish I could say it to my grandfather one last time

I walked into my grandfather’s home, not knowing what to expect. He normally sat in the living room with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. However, on that fateful day, my grandfather was nowhere to be seen.

“Come over here,” said my mom. “Grandad is lying in bed and his condition is deteriorating. It’s the only chance you’ll have to say goodbye.”

I walked down the corridor and noticed several photos from my childhood displayed on the wall. In hindsight, that wasn’t a surprise as my grandfather had always been a proud family man. But, as I opened the bedroom door, tears streamed down my cheeks as I realized we were about to have our last conversation.

Nothing could have prepared me for the heartbreaking task of saying goodbye. A giant lump of sadness lingered in my throat and prevented me from saying what was on my mind in an articulate manner. So, as I stood by my grandfather’s bedside in the final weeks of his life, all I could muster was three words: “I love you.”

My grandfather smiled and looked toward a picture of us together mounted on the bedroom wall. I was six years old back then, and we were on vacation in Australia. It must’ve been 100 degrees, and sweat constantly dripped down our foreheads due to the extreme humidity.

I vividly remember asking my grandfather if we could get ice cream together. “It’s important to enjoy life and make the most of it,” he replied. “So pick the flavor you want and have no regrets.”

I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. Even though the ice cream only cost my grandfather a few dollars, the effect it had on my happiness was priceless.

Several years later, we drove to a remote hill in the British countryside. My grandfather opened the car’s trunk, assembled a telescope, and poured me a mug of hot chocolate to sip while watching the sunset.

My grandfather told me to look through the telescope for an alien spaceship. “That’s ridiculous,” said my teenage self. “Aliens don’t come to England because they hang out at Area 51 in America.”

My grandfather laughed. But after he gestured at the telescope, I played along and looked through the lens. At first, I didn’t see much. But as the minutes went by, I saw flickers of light that resembled objects burning up in Earth’s atmosphere. With a look of astonishment clearly visible on my face, I asked my grandfather how he knew aliens were visiting England.

“What you’re seeing isn’t aliens,” he replied with a chuckle. “The objects in the telescope are meteors — pieces of rock drifting through space from distant regions of the galaxy.”

My grandfather then told me that meteor showers often get named after the constellation in which they originate. “The same is true for us,” he said. “We might travel to faraway lands. But the wisdom gained from our past will always point us in the direction of a brighter future.”

Happy memories like that made it difficult to say goodbye. My grandfather always had a massive smile, looked on the bright side of life, and encouraged me to see the best in other people. So, as I stood by his bedside, it was heartbreaking to see my grandfather lying in bed, drifting in and out of consciousness, barely able to hear our final conversation.

A few weeks later, I received a heartbreaking phone call. My mom struggled to speak as she conveyed the sad news. “Grandad is in heaven,” she said. “He passed away in the early hours of the morning.”

I was speechless. Unable to say anything else, I said, “I love you,” hung up the phone, and cried on the couch. For the minutes, hours, and days that followed, my chest hurt as if it had been ripped apart by tiny shards of glass. Each one tore through my emotions as I gradually came to terms with the fact that my grandfather was no longer alive.

I mourned for the countless milestones in my life he would never get to experience. My grandfather would never meet my girlfriend’s family, attend my wedding, or hold great-grandchildren. It was upsetting to know that none of those events would ever happen with him present. However, like my grandfather, I tried to look on the bright side of life and think about our happy memories together.

I began to feel nostalgic for the days when life felt so much simpler. When the biggest thing on my mind was the flavor of ice cream to eat on vacation or if I could spot an alien spaceship through a telescope.

I missed the days when I could call my grandfather on the phone. The days when he would answer, tell hilarious jokes, and tell me not to take life so seriously. “Slow down,” he would often say after hearing about my ‘big plans’ to become highly successful. “It’s important to enjoy life and make the most of it. So relax and enjoy every second… while you still can.”

I often think about what I would say if I could speak to my grandfather one last time. If I could dial heaven on the phone, speak to him for a few moments, and have an enjoyable conversation like the good old days.

Perhaps I’d talk to him about politics, my upcoming vacation to Australia, or scientists getting closer to discovering extraterrestrial life. Or maybe, I’d break down in tears and struggle to say anything other than the most beautiful phrase in the English language.

“I love you.”

Want to be notified whenever I publish a new article? Click here. And if you enjoyed this post, show your appreciation by giving it lots of claps.