Happy 98th Birthday Pap-Pap

My grandfather turned 98 on January 18th (Tuesday).  NINETY EIGHT!  He went into the hospital on Sunday, with an infection in his foot, so I went to see him there on his birthday.

When I walked into his hospital room, there he was talking to someone (a medical student), laughing and smiling.  He is always talking to someone, laughing, and smiling.  He draws people to him with his stories, his friendly nature, and his positive attitude.

When he saw me he grinned, and exclaimed, "Oh, Jenny!"  Shortly after, my parents arrived, and we all sat for hours, talking and reminiscing as we often do.

When I gave him the card I made him, with a mosaic of photos from various stages in our family, he cried. I don't remember exactly what I wrote, but it was pretty sappy.

When someone is 98, you don't hold anything back.  You tell them how much they mean to you.  You listen more closely to what they have to say.  You look at them, as if you want to memorize exactly how they look right at this moment.  You have more patience with them.  You are filled with love and appreciation for the person they are.  There is an immediacy to your time spent with them.  You know that this time might be the last time - the last chance you get to say "I Love You".

As I drove home, I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if we were always like that, with everyone?"  I shuddered, as I had the thought that really, it is the same with everyone in our lives.  There should be that same immediacy, because we truly don't know how long we have with anyone in our lives.  This time might be the last time.  If we truly grasp the enormity of that fact it is enough to bring us to our knees.  It is enough to make us change the way we view our lives and each day in it.  It is enough to change the way we interact with people.  And, it should.

My Grandfather's Hands

(If you haven't read yesterday's post, please do. And, please consider donating).


It is my grandfather's 97th birthday today (Monday). We celebrated at his house this evening. As always, there was food and cake and a lot of laughter. Dylan helped him open his gifts, which always makes grandpa laugh. We talked, ate, and played a rowdy game with balloons. I gave my grandpa something I wrote, and it made him cry. This is it...

My Grandfather's Hands

As a kid, I used to love when my grandpa would take my hand. I loved the way my tiny hand felt in his big, rough one. As I got older, I would look at his hands, and think of all the things those hands had done. I pictured those hands working day after day alongside my great grandfather to build the home that he still lives in. I pictured those hands tending the big garden he grew in the backyard. I pictured them holding my mom and my aunt when they were kids, after his very long, tiring days at work.

Now, when I look at my grandpa's hands, I think of all the games that he played with me and my cousins - T-ball, Uno, Mr. Mouth, Ping Pong, and Chinese Checkers. I think of those hands so frequently reaching into his pocket for his handkerchief, to wipe his eyes, since he always laughs until he cries.

I think of the way in so many pictures I have of my grandparents, my grandpa's hand is resting lovingly on my grandma's shoulder - her protector. I think of the one and only time I saw my grandfather cry (before my grandma died). The doctor told him that he needed to go to the hospital, and he wiped away a few tears with those big, strong hands, telling her that he needed to stay and take care of my grandma.

My grandfather's hands tell a story, not only of all of these things, but of the man he was and continues to be. A man to admire. A man to respect. A man to love.

I love you, Grandpa. Happy 97th Birthday!

Love,
Jen

Happy 95th, Pap-Pap!

We celebrated my grandfather's 95th birthday Friday. I wrote this for him. It made him laugh, and it made him cry, and it made me very happy to watch him read it, and see the joy it brought him on his special day.


If someone who never met my grandpa were to ask me what he is like, this is what I would tell them...
My grandfather, Ken, is friendly, a good sport, strong, positive, slow to anger, and loving.

My grandpa is Friendly with a capital F! He always talks to people, wherever he goes. He talks to people at the grocery store, the doctor's office, the bank, the bus stop, WHEREVER! He loves people of all ages, and he loves to joke with people and make them laugh. I was lucky enough to be able to go on some vacations with my grandfather. One of my favorite stories is from a trip we all took to Virginia Beach. We were walking on the boardwalk, and passed a few young guys, who were sitting on the wall, girl watching. My grandpa stopped, and asked them, "Well, fellas. Are you having any luck with the ladies?" They all smiled, shrugged, and shook their heads, "Nah, not really". My grandpa smiled his ornery grin, and replied, "Well, maybe you just aren't using the right technique. Playing Popeye always worked for me". Then he took his teeth out, pushed out his chest, and flashed his muscles at the next group of pretty girls going past! Those guys laughed so hard, one of them fell off the wall into the sand! I could still hear them laughing as we walked away, and I just know they reminded each other of that story for years.

My grandpa is a good sport. He is competitive, and he taught me to always play to win, but he also taught me how to be a gracious loser. We love to play games in my family, and I especially like playing Chinese Checkers or Ping Pong with him. He is really good at both, and extremely hard to beat. It became my goal - to beat my grandpa at a game of Chinese Checkers. When the day finally came that I could beat him, even though I could tell he was a bit disappointed, he stuck out his hand to shake mine, and said, "Well, Jenny, that was a good game. You have really become a good player". I felt so proud!

My grandpa is strong. His dad died when he was only two years old, and his mom had five children to take care of, so my grandpa always did what he could to help her. He grew up during the depression, and he learned to appreciate the things that he had, and not take anything for granted. He gave up a football scholarship to get a job and help his mom with the finances. When my grandpa was newly married, he and his father in law, worked every night for 2 years, after working hard at their jobs all day, to build the house that my grandfather still lives in to this day. My grandpa hasn't had an easy life, but he is strong because of it, or in spite of it, and I admire him and what he has accomplished.

My grandpa is positive. He is almost always happy and smiling, and he seldom complains. He loves to laugh, and when he laughs, his face turns red, his whole body shakes, and tears come out of his eyes! He tries to always see the good in people, and I can't remember a time I ever heard him talk about someone behind their back.

My grandpa is slow to anger. It is rare to ever see him get upset, and when he does, he usually just shakes his head, and doesn't say anything. I can't remember a time that I saw my grandparents fight. They were always so patient and loving towards each other. The only time that my grandpa would get mad, is when he was driving. As a kid, I used to get such a kick out of his behavior behind the wheel, because it was so out of character. Once on a trip to Washington, D.C., my grandpa was trying to navigate through heavy traffic, with all of us crammed into the car, when a taxi driver beeped his horn at him, and gave him the finger. My grandpa shouted out, "Yea, buddy, you go ahead and give me the finger! I'll give you the whole hand!', making motions at the guy with his hand. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants.

My grandpa is loving. The love he showed for my grandma was beautiful and inspiring. He was always keeping an eye on her, and asking how she was. They finished each other's sentences, and my grandma would often pause to say, "Right, Ken?"
In almost every picture taken of the two of them, my grandpa's hand is resting lovingly on her shoulder - her best friend and protector. He has always shown so much love for our family. He always made time to play with us grandkids - tickling our feet until we begged for mercy, roasting marshmallows in the basement, playing baseball in the yard, and playing games with us, like Uno and Chinese Checkers.

My grandpa is an amazing man that I admire, respect, and love a great deal. I am so grateful for the lessons he has taught me, the time he spent with me, the sacrifices that he made for me and for our family, and the love he gave so generously. I am so lucky to have him as a grandfather, and I hope to be more like him - more friendly, strong, positive, slow to anger, and loving.