An Open Letter To My Opa | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Relationships

An Open Letter To My Opa

I love you

20
An Open Letter To My Opa
Marie Fischer's Photo

Dear Opa,

Thank you for everything you have taught me and all the great times we have shared to this point; I can’t wait for more. From vacations together, to cookouts, to boat rides, to the family Christmas Dinners at your house, I can never thank you enough or let you know how much these times have truly meant to me. You are the only guy I know that can be taking the last bite of breakfast and asking what we are going to do for lunch. For every cookout you always have everything we need-all the plates, utensils, napkins, a tablecloth for the picnic table (and definitely we have to use your 1970s tupperware salt and pepper shakers), and you remain the ultimate “Grill Master”. You have always been strong but sweet, able to discipline yet always up for fun. You have always encouraged us to work hard, have fun and be nice to other people. You are a strong role model for each of those things you encourage in us.

Thank you for encouraging me to get my boating license, and being insistent that my sister and I know how to drive the boat as well as how to get it back in the slip, tie it up and put the canvas on right. Thanks for always encouraging us to learn how to be independent, through just sitting back and letting us figure things out, but still being available to help if we really need it.

Thank you for the trips we have taken together, to Florida and Alaska. Thank you for the funny memories like when your body was still on NY time and you woke up at 2 am in Alaska and got ready for breakfast without looking at the clock. It’s always fun being around you; I appreciate that we can have a serious talk or a bunch of laughs. Thank you for always knowing the “back story” on any new person I meet, and giving advice on what to watch for. Thank you for accepting my friends and boyfriend, and letting them call you Opa, because they know how cool you are and want to be that close to you too. Thank you for being that same loving, giving person to everyone you meet. And for always being honest.

For these reasons and so many more, I love you and I am so lucky to call you MY Opa, and that’s why it is so hard right now to have you in the hospital knowing you have to do the hardest part to get better. I wish I could turn back time a week, but know what was missed when you were getting discharged from the hospital the first time, so maybe you would have stayed a little longer then but not had to go back in 2 days later.

Now it’s our time to be strong for you, like you have always been for us. And I can’t wait until we can look back on this, at Christmas Dinner in a few months, and realize how this “bump in the road” made us stronger and closer as a family. Thank you for being you.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

5422
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments