Grandpa Don

A week ago, I came back from a short trip to Washington State to celebrate the life of my Grandpa Don. He lived a fruitful life of 92 years, 70 of which were with his sweetheart, Kay. Not having grown up near my extended family, it makes me all the more sad that I didn’t have a chance to bond with him. 

My siblings and I talked about what we remembered of Grandpa. He loved his jigsaw puzzles (he was a patient man!) and crossword puzzles. He knew lots of trivia. I distinctly remember his huge garden in Oregon: flowers of all colors, plants of all kinds, perfectly weeded and trimmed grass, fruit trees and berry bushes. When we went to visit them, Grandma made us drink a small glass of orange juice every morning (full pulp!) from a blue and gray ceramic cup. The only cereal she had was what she and Grandpa ate: homemade plain granola with fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries (and maybe strawberries) straight from their yard. I remember thinking: “yuck. Where’s the good stuff?” I wondered whether this bite of berries would be sweet or too tart. Today, I would LOVE to eat that breakfast. What a brat I was. Grandpa grew iris too, and Mom always had her eye out for gifts related to iris, a small decoration or ornament or something. He won awards for a new hybrid of this delicate flower. Grandpa’s shelves had lots of rocks with sparkly gems on the inside; where he got them, I have no idea. He knew just about everything to do with rocks, something I had no interest in (again, why was I so shallow?). I could have learned a lot from him if I had had the patience, or if I was less concerned with what we were “doing” next. Grandma and Grandpa visited us fairly regularly in France and we played the tour guides. They always brought gifts and treats. Grandpa told lots of jokes and lots of stories about his time in the navy. I’ll always remember his face when he told a story about his ship getting hit with a torpedo! It sounded scary to me, but it seemed quite exciting to him. It’s incredible to think about how many experiences he’s had in 92 years. Thank you, God, for giving him such a long and wonderful life.

These pictures are from Grandpa's military burial service. 

 My mom and her siblings around Grandma.

As sad as it was to say goodbye to Grandpa, it was truly special to be reunited with my Mom’s side of the family. Aunts and uncles and cousins that I hadn’t seen in more than 12 or 15 years! It was great to get caught up on each other’s lives and to meet my cousins’ kids, or at least 7 of 9 of them. We attempted a family photo, even though a couple of spouses and other kids were missing.

Getting the immediate family together was easier.  

I got to spend good quality time with my immediate family, and I finally met my nephew Henry (now 8 months). What a treat! 

Everybody was weirded out to see my ballooning belly, and took turns feeling the baby move. Only two more months until we get to see his sweet face!