Friday, February 11, 2011

Day 30

Life is not a simple thing.  We watch ourselves get older, we watch our children grow too fast, and as time marches on we eventually have to say goodbye to people we love.  Let's face it, no one lives forever.  We're all running the same race and will, eventually, hit the finish line.  The curtain will fall and the band will play.  Today's challenge is to post a picture of some one you miss.  Certain circumstances that are still fresh on my mind made this one easy for me.  

This is one my favorite pictures of my Grandpa Jack.  When I was younger I just assumed he would live forever -- and, in a way, he will.  This picture sits on our bookshelf.  I have another frame that holds two photos -- one of my Grandpa Jack with his first born son, Ricky, (who died as an infant) and one of my grandma holding Ricky.  They were so young!  Now that I am in my 30s I look at pictures of them in their 20s and think, "Wow, time really does go by too fast." 

My Grandpa Jack was one of my favorite people.  He was smart, he was a hard worker, he was giving and caring -- I remember watching him talk to people and if he didn't agree with them, instead of arguing, he'd just laugh and say nothing.  He knew it wasn't worth it to try and argue.  I loved that about him.  Actually, there were many things I loved about him. 

I was lucky enough to get to see my grandparents often.  We had lunch with my grandparent's every Sunday and since my parents lived three houses down from my grandparents' we would walk down during the week and have sodas or iced tea with my Grandpa Jack.  He would always be in the yard working on something and he'd stop working, sit on the patio with us, and ask us about school and anything else going on in our lives.  He'd always tell me that if I ever needed any help with anything or if I needed money to let him know.  "Don't hesitate, don't feel bad about it, and don't give it a second thought.  It's what I'm here for -- if you need help and I can help you, well, then I'm more than happy to do so," he'd say.  Then, he'd smile and wink at me. 

I watched baseball games with him growing up and came to love baseball because of that.  The Texas Rangers were his favorite team and he got to see them go to the World Serious last year.  He would take us camping, fishing, he'd tell us stories about how different things were when he was our age.  He would help a stranger with no questions asked.  He was an amazing man who will never be forgotten!

2 comments:

  1. I like this picture a lot. He sure sounds like an amazing man. I know he loved you and those little gremlins very much.

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  2. You have a lot of good memories. We think highly of your grandfather because of what Jacob has told us about him and all the memories you have shared. Just think . . . you are his granddaughter so you carry alot of his good qualities in you.

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