5 Things I'd Say To My Grandpa If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away

5 Things I'd Say To My Grandpa If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away

You will always be my Pap-Pap.
Amanda Thompson
Amanda Thompson Mar 7, 2016
29737
views

When we are younger we don’t think much about losing a grandparent. We think we have time and that often leaves us forgetting to say the things that are in our heart. Years later and I still feel the ache of the absence of my grandfather and have many regrets of the things I had wished I had said.

1. I am proud to be your granddaughter

I am always told how lucky I am to have had a grandfather like you, and those who tell me that couldn’t be more right. I can’t help but feel so proud when people who worked alongside you, or friends who knew you the best tell me the heartfelt stories of the man you were and how proud he was of his family. You always were a hardworking man who always put his family first. You are my inspiration to work hard for the things I want in life and that is one of the many reasons you helped shape who I am today and I couldn’t be more grateful.

2. I actually didn’t mind the oldies music

As much as I’d beg you to turn the station or to change the CD, looking back some of those tunes were not that bad. Honestly I'd give anything to ride in your truck and listen to you hum along or watch you tap your thumbs on the steering wheel.

3. I miss you and I love you

I miss you and I love you more than anything. It is so easy to want to pick up the phone and call you when something major has happened or when my parents just don’t get how I feel. You will always hold a special place in my heart no matter what. The last few weeks you were here I will cherish for the rest of my life.

4. I’ll save you a seat

Words cannot express how I felt looking into the crowd at my high school graduation and not seeing you there smiling; it was a day we looked forward to. Words cannot express how I feel knowing that I won’t see you at my college graduation. You’d be so proud. Words cannot express how I feel knowing that I won’t see the tears in your eyes at my wedding or that when I start my own family I won’t see you walk through my hospital door. However, words can express the love that I feel knowing that you will be there in my heart and I promise I will save you a seat.

5. Most importantly, thank you

Thank you for the lessons along the way. Thank you for the stories of the good ‘ole days. I may have heard the stories a million times but I promise I heard every one. Thank you for spoiling me but also showing me what hard work can get me. Thank you for coming to my sport events, you were always my number 1 fan. And lastly thank you for the memories that I will have with me for the rest of my life, and the stories I will be able to tell my own children one day.

Cover Image Credit: Amanda Thompson
Amanda Thompson
Amanda Thompson Mar 7, 2016
At Clarion University

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Dear Mom, From Your Daughter In College

Here are all the things our phone calls aren't long enough to say.
Holly Moore
Holly Moore Mar 1, 2016
122063
views

Dear Mom,

Do you remember when I was three and we would play together? It was the age of princesses and carpet that was actually lava, and you were the prettiest woman in the whole wide world. Do you remember when I was in high school and the world seemed too big and scary? You would know exactly when to take me on a mother-daughter date and have me laughing about anything and everything, and you were the smartest woman in the whole wide world. Now, I'm buried in homework and deadlines hours away from you and we don't get to talk as much you want, but you're still the prettiest, smartest woman in the whole wide world.

I'm sorry that I don't call you as much as I should, and you know a lot of what goes on in my world via posts and pictures. Our schedules just seem to never line up so we can have the three-hour conversations about everything like I want to. I know we don't agree on absolutely everything, but I cherish every piece of advice you give me, even though it probably seems like I'm hardly listening. I know that sometimes we get on each other's nerves, but thank you for putting up with me for all of these years. Thank you for listening to me cry, complain, question things and go on and on about how everything in college is. I know I don't come home as much as I used to, but I think about you all the time. After all, you're my first friend, and therefore, my best friend.

Thank you for celebrating my successes with me, and not downing me too hard for my failures. Thank you for knowing what mistakes I shouldn't make, but letting me make them anyway because you want me to live my life and be my own person. Thank you for knowing when to ask about the boy I've been talking about, and when to stop without any questions. Thank you for letting me be my crazy, weird, sometimes know-it-all self.

Thank you for sitting back and watching me spread my wings and fly. There is no way I could have known how to grow into the woman I am today if I hadn't watched you while I was growing up so I would know what kind of person I should aspire to be. Thank you for being the first (and the best) role model I ever had. You continue to inspire and amaze me every day with all that you do, and all that you are.

I don't know how I got so lucky to have a person in my life like you, but I thank the Lord every night for blessing me with the smartest, prettiest person to be my best friend, my role model, my confidant, my person and most importantly, my mother.

Love,

Your daughter

Cover Image Credit: Pexels
Holly Moore
Holly Moore Mar 1, 2016
At Stephen F. Austin State University

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3 Tips To Drafting A Fantasy Football Team

How to Navigate the Complex Landscape of the Nerd's Take on America's Game

jjankowski23
jjankowski23 Sep 20, 2018
1114
views

It will be fun, they said. It's easy! You just pick players and when they play well you do well! They said. Well, all you are thinking now is what did I get myself into. The draft clock ticks away as you try to pick a player. Your brother talks nonstop about Tom Brady, but when you tried to pick him, your brother yelled in protest and started blabbering on about something called ADP. You just did this because everyone else was, you don't know what YAC is or how a player's ODP should affect their draft stock. Well, while I won't be able to give you every bit of advice to make 100% sure you'll be gloating to your old bro at the season's end, I can get you up to speed on this crazy game of sports and numbers.

Part One: The Basics

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For you beginning out there that barely know what a football is and are only in this because a friend begged you to fill a spot, this paragraph is a good place to start. Simply put, fantasy football is a game where you pick players who play real, NFL football in the hopes that they perform well. When the real games are played out, the better these players that you have on your team do, the more points you score. If the player you have scores a touchdown, that's six points. There are points for yards, field goals, negative points for a player throwing an interception, and sometimes a point is given just for catching the ball. But don't worry about all that. So, you have your players from all different teams in the NFL and you have your team play against another team from your fantasy league in a game of whose players can perform better in the real football game. The team with the most points wins.

Part Two: The Draft

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Now that we have the basics down we move on to the draft. Ah yes, they save the most confusing part of fantasy football for the very beginning. The draft can be daunting. It can be difficult trying to coordinate positions, byes, teams, and considering a myriad of other factors everyone else is telling you are essential. I'd like to break it down into three simple tips on draft day:

1. Use your first three picks on either RBs or WRs.

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Don't even think about anything other than these two positions for your first three picks. Some people may tell you to take a tight end, but I'm telling you there's talent later in the draft at that position. Focus on these two positions. In most leagues, you will need two RBs (Running Backs) and two WRs (Wide Receivers) plus a fifth slot for either an RB or a WR called a Flex. When you draft, the game will suggest players that people have taken when drafting at the same position you are. Players with lower numbers are traditionally being picked earlier and are generally better. Try to find 2 RBs and 1 WR or vice versa in those first three rounds if you can.

2. Don't draft a QB until after the 10th round. 

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Quarterback is the most important position in real football and most of the famous players (Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and others) are quarterbacks. In fantasy, they are not as important. The best QBs and the middle-of-the-pack QBs will score very similar numbers from week to week, so look for better players at WR, RB, and TE before you pick a QB. Good players to target at QB are Matt Ryan (Falcons) and Phillip Rivers (Chargers)

3. Wait to draft your defense and kicker until the final four rounds. 

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It can be tempting to look to fill that Kicker and that Defense slot early to make sure you have all the players you need, but trust me, wait. Remember when I said the difference between the best and the ok QBs is a small difference? It's even smaller for a kicker and a defense. Wait until the very end of the draft until you pick up anyone at these positions. If you have a favorite team it can be fun to pick their defense, as long as they are a good team their defense will do the trick.

So there you have it, three beginner tips for drafting a fantasy football team. Remember to relax, it's only a game, and have fun! Happy drafting!

jjankowski23
jjankowski23 Sep 20, 2018
At Butler University

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