Happy Birthday/Father's Day/Sunday!
Today is my sister’s birthday! Happy Birthday to her! It’s weird, because we are LJ friends - even though she isn’t really on anymore - but I still get LJ notifications for her birthday, so I guess I will never forget!
It’s also Father’s Day, so I thought I’d take a minute to tell a story about my grandpa, who passed away earlier this year just after his 94th birthday. This one day, when I was perhaps 20 or so and Grandpa was in his late 70s/early 80s, he took me to the eye doctor. The clinic was right down the street from my house, but I wouldn’t be able to drive afterwards because of dilation, so he came into town to drive me. I went in for my exam and when I came out, Grandpa had struck up a conversation with an elderly man in the lobby who was waiting for his wife. It turned out the other man had been a WWII veteran as well - (Grandpa was a Navy man back in the day). They were talking up a storm - typical for my family, especially my Grandpa, especially when he has run into a WWII vet.
He said several times, as I was just standing there, waiting on him to finish up, “I should go. My granddaughter’s waiting,” but it took at least 15 minutes before he actually got up out of his chair. The other man apologized to me and I was like, “Oh no. Grandpa’s a vet and Dad’s a vet and I know to just wait it out when they’ve run into another veteran.” I was really enjoying just listening to them tell their stories. They were involved in vastly different areas of the war and had never met and weren’t from the same town and yet, it was like they were long-lost buddies. I suppose, in a way, they were. Then Grandpa took me to Wendy’s - “You must be hungry. Are you hungry? Let’s grab a bite,” - and then we went over to my uncle’s house to see the new deck he had put in. And then Grandpa took me home.
That was it. But when people say, “What’s one of the best days you’ve ever had?” I always think of that day. I so rarely got to spend time with Grandpa without Grandma around. He was always running the farm, well up into his 80s even, and this was a treat to get him all to myself. It wasn’t the most exciting day or the best memory of my life or any grand happening, but it was a nice, good day with my Grandpa.
The big stuff is always great, but sometimes the little stuff takes the front row, you know?
It’s also Father’s Day, so I thought I’d take a minute to tell a story about my grandpa, who passed away earlier this year just after his 94th birthday. This one day, when I was perhaps 20 or so and Grandpa was in his late 70s/early 80s, he took me to the eye doctor. The clinic was right down the street from my house, but I wouldn’t be able to drive afterwards because of dilation, so he came into town to drive me. I went in for my exam and when I came out, Grandpa had struck up a conversation with an elderly man in the lobby who was waiting for his wife. It turned out the other man had been a WWII veteran as well - (Grandpa was a Navy man back in the day). They were talking up a storm - typical for my family, especially my Grandpa, especially when he has run into a WWII vet.
He said several times, as I was just standing there, waiting on him to finish up, “I should go. My granddaughter’s waiting,” but it took at least 15 minutes before he actually got up out of his chair. The other man apologized to me and I was like, “Oh no. Grandpa’s a vet and Dad’s a vet and I know to just wait it out when they’ve run into another veteran.” I was really enjoying just listening to them tell their stories. They were involved in vastly different areas of the war and had never met and weren’t from the same town and yet, it was like they were long-lost buddies. I suppose, in a way, they were. Then Grandpa took me to Wendy’s - “You must be hungry. Are you hungry? Let’s grab a bite,” - and then we went over to my uncle’s house to see the new deck he had put in. And then Grandpa took me home.
That was it. But when people say, “What’s one of the best days you’ve ever had?” I always think of that day. I so rarely got to spend time with Grandpa without Grandma around. He was always running the farm, well up into his 80s even, and this was a treat to get him all to myself. It wasn’t the most exciting day or the best memory of my life or any grand happening, but it was a nice, good day with my Grandpa.
The big stuff is always great, but sometimes the little stuff takes the front row, you know?