Today I called my grandfather to say hello and it was the best decision I've made.

My grandfather is a man of few words. Our phone calls are generally only a minute or two, but today was different. Today, we spoke for a long while. I had just decided to call him up to say hello. I never want to live my life regretting taking his presence for granted. I know how life works - I've had my fair share of travesties to understand the end game.

Every time I call he answers and says, "Hello."

"Hi, Grandpa it's Kelly."

"Kelly! How are you?"

"I'm wonderful.How are you doing?"

"Well, I'm not wonderful, but I'm doing pretty good."

And that is how our conversations routinely start. I love hearing his voice and just catching up, even if it’s only for a few moments. Today we had trouble connecting, but finally, he called me back when he was in a good area and we got to chatting. I told him how I’d been invited to the honors college at school to which he was proud. He said he missed me this past Saturday when some of my siblings traveled up north to visit and was so glad to hear my voice today. That made this call all the more special. He asked me if my friends were still good and I told him how blessed I was to have them - and I truly am. He was glad. He then told me how he had been thinking how my first semester at college was almost over. I agreed, saying how time flies and that I was to go on Spring Break this Friday. He asked if I had any plans, but I explained that I will be house-sitting for my sister and how we are redoing our upstairs at my house. Then he mentioned coming down for Easter, which made me excited, and how they’ll be home from New Hampshire a week after. After a brief pause, I brought up how I can hear the church bells from my room. I love hearing them toll - they remind me of home and bring me peace. We talked about going to church at St. Mary’s in the center of Beverly. My grandfather loves how they deliver the liturgy there. He told me about how he used to drive over the bridge from Beverly to get to Salem for work. He then got excited and asked me if I’d want to drive around Salem and Beverly a day as he showed me old stores and places he used to work and visit. I told him I would absolutely love that! I truly meant that. I had just been thinking about asking him about his childhood - as I love to hear stories and love to learn about the past. It seemed fitting, to me, for this conversation to be taking place. Towards the end, he asked me about my classes and if I was taking a foreign language. I explained how I was continuing my study of Italian and was on my way to becoming bilingual. He said to me, “Well... you have no limits. Just keep doing what you’re doing.” I said thank you, laughed a little, we agreed to do the drive around, and then he told me he’d let me go because he knew I had class.

"You have no limits" has become my new life motto.

I began to tear up towards the end of the call. It hit me that I was talking to my Grandfather and that was a gift I knew I would not have for much longer. I lied in my bed with the phone to my ear and tears streaming down my cheeks. I stayed strong while talking with my Grandfather, but as soon as that end button was pressed the tears came all at once. I just lied there soaking in the moment. I don’t think they were tears of sadness, but more so tears of enlightenment. It was a beautiful moment of my Grandfather and I being present despite being miles apart.

Our conversation was fairly benign, yet had meaning in the fact that we were connecting. I got to speak with my Grandfather and got to let him know he means so much to me. Just by dialing him up, I got to make a difference. To know that I was thinking of him, I’m sure made his day, and that peace of mind is what keeps me going. Knowing that my family knows how much I love them is all I ask.

Be grateful for what you have and who you have. Don’t you dare take one moment for granted because there are people out there, like me, who would kill for just another second to be with their loved ones.

Don’t have regret. Be present. Love.