To Grandpa, With Love

This year marked the third year since my grandpa passed away. I remember him particularly today, because my grandmother is turning 80. I still see remnants of him nearly everywhere that I go. The cover photo for this article is a piece of art at the St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park. Every time I see it, I cannot help but to pause and mourn the passing of my grandfather. It also helps me to smile, and celebrate his memory. It looks just like him. As people grow from children into adults, they are often told that they haven't changed, or that they look like a different person. As people age from adults into elders, this idea is often deemed entirely unrelated. People do not often think of elders appearances, or even take notice. I do. My grandmother paints her fingernails pink and her blue eyes sparkle when she speaks. She is as girly as she was when she young. When I looked at my grandpa, I saw how strikingly similar he looked to his past self that I knew only through pictures. I saw this often in the profile in his face. He was very handsome. I also remember him when I hear the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. It was one of his favorite songs because it reminded him of his children and great grandchildren. "I see babies cry. I watch them grow. They'll learn much more than I'll never know. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world." It brings chills down my spine nearly every time I hear it. My grandpa was a very gentle man. I don't know that I have ever met anyone quite like him. When I was just a small child, I was lucky enough to live next door to my grandparents. I can count on both hands the number of memories I have retained from these days; I was very young. One of these memories is all of the treats my grandpa would hand my siblings and I over the fence that separated our backyards. Pink bubblegum one day, popsicles the next. He was the type of person you could sit next with in a comfortable silence. He knew that you did not always have to communicate vocally to show someone that you love and care for them. My grandma often recalls how each time she gave birth to a child (she had three of them, all girls), he would bring her a nice dress to the hospital. This seems so special to me. In all the bustle and joy a newborn brings to this world, he still found a way to show my grandma that he loved her and was thinking of her. All animals flocked to him because of his kind nature. He was also a total goofball. When my grandma was not looking, he always made funny faces at her just to make us giggle. Sadly, I have to admit that I did not know my grandpa that well. I loved him, but I was young and did not think about how important it was to spend time with him. He passed away before I had this realization. It is one of my biggest regrets in life thus far, and I feel deeply saddened when the thought enters my mind. I wrote this as a tribute to him, and to hopefully encourage others to spend time with loved ones. You are never too busy. I also hope that one day my grandpa and I can meet again, and I can tell him how much I love him. Grandpa, I love you.

-Your Eleventh Grandchild