So I am fortunate enough to be able to say I haven't lost many close relatives yet. As I get older though, I'm starting to think more and more about making the most out of my time with them. It's a fact of life that they aren't going to be around forever and it just hit me recently. I was talking to my Papa (my father's dad) about some things we want to work on in his workshop and I had the thought that whatever we don't get done in the next few weeks before he goes to Florida, we can take care of when he gets back in the Spring. But for how much longer am I going to be able to put these bonding experiences off?

Papa is 72. He very well might have many more years to go, but he also might not. That's something I've always kind of known in an abstract way, but it hit me for possibly the first time that he could pass away before we ever get to finish those projects we've been working on for years. Since that thought crossed my mind, I've been thinking a lot more about the time I've spent with him and how important it has been to me.

I think my favorite thing about spending time with my Papa is his pride when he teaches me something new. I've always thought something sad about life is that no matter how much you try to record your thoughts or pass things on when you die those things are lost to the rest of the world. Yeah, I can teach someone a skill I have, but I'll never pass on everything. In much the same way, I think as my Papa has gotten older and acquired so many different experiences that he really wants to be able to pass those things on. When I work with him I always make a point to reference things he has taught me and I love seeing the pride in his eyes when he knows I actually listen to what he says.

This weekend I'm driving up to West Branch and working on some of those projects we've been putting off for the last few years. I think we all need to take more time to appreciate the people we care about. This isn't just about grandparents, either. You never really know how much time you have left with the people that are important to you, so absolutely spend as much time as you can with them. I'm going to make some more memories with my Papa, and then I'm going to start making time for the rest of the important people in my life.