I found myself really missing my grandpa today. I had a dad who was technically "there" while I was growing up, and I had uncles and an older brother, but my grandpa was the one who taught me the most about "being a man". He was quiet and reserved, but not in a menacing or intimidating way. He was an observer, and slow to anger. In fact, I think I only ever saw him get angry one time in my entire life, at my uncle, and can't remember him 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 raising his voice in anger. Now, I fall way short of that, but his was, and is, the example I try to follow. Everything from the sports teams I cheer for (Go Guardians! ⚾), to my politics were shaped by this man (he had a simple philosophy: Democrats care about people, Republicans care about money). I think the thing I miss most, is just sitting on my grandparents' back patio with him, listening to baseball games. Especially after I got home from the Army. I don't think I've found peace the way I did on those summer afternoons, since he's been gone. We didn't talk, he didn't pepper me with constant questions about the war, we would just sit and listen to the game. I think he knew I needed it before I even did. And I think he knew because of how similar we were. Which brings me to the last thing I'll brag about, and 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 brag about it, because he never did. This quiet, gentle guy with the goofy smile, was a Marine in World War II, and he fought on Okinawa. I won't give a history lesson, but you should Google "Okinawa". It's safe to say that my grandpa was the toughest SOB I'll ever meet in my life. Anyway, this short blog doesn't begin to do him justice, but I miss him every day, and for whatever reason, today was worse.
(Forgive the photo quality, they're pictures of pictures)
P.S.- the title of the blog was our family's nickname for him 🙂
