Loyal Lilac #8
To anyone else, it looks like an old, slightly tattered yellow and white striped short-sleeved t-shirt with a tiny little pocket on the front right breast, too small to fit anything in. But to me, it looks like my grandfather.
The yellow, so fitting, as he was one of the happiest, most cheerful men anyone had ever encountered. Even after he had entered the hospital for the last time, he was able to see the silver lining. He saw the good in everything.
One day I called him after a first year of law school property class to say hi and he, of course, always wanting to hear about his grandchildren’s’ lives asked how it was.
I told him, “it wasn’t my favorite, but it was okay.”
He was quick to respond, “Well, even if it’s not your favorite, you should always try to take something away from every class!”
Even when he was sick, he tried to get me to see the good in one of my least favorite law school classes.
During that phone conversation, one of my last with him, I asked how the food was at the Del Ray Medical Center, and he said: "it's a better menu than at the West Palm Retirement Community, you get to choose a meat or fish, and they have soups, and they brought me TWO main courses tonight. I ordered tuna, but I got both tuna AND roast beef!"
And when I asked if my grandmother was there with him, he said: “for appearance sake, she comes every day. It’d be a disgrace in the Community! People would say: 'you mean you're not going to the hospital.'”
Even in his last few days, he maintained his optimistic attitude, positive outlook, and sense of humor.
For the rest of my life, every time I do something that I know he’d be proud of, I’ll look at his yellow and white striped t-shirt which still sits in my closet and think of him.
Albert Einstein once said: “Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation.” So, Grandpop, you will live on forever through me. I love and miss you.
The yellow, so fitting, as he was one of the happiest, most cheerful men anyone had ever encountered. Even after he had entered the hospital for the last time, he was able to see the silver lining. He saw the good in everything.
One day I called him after a first year of law school property class to say hi and he, of course, always wanting to hear about his grandchildren’s’ lives asked how it was.
I told him, “it wasn’t my favorite, but it was okay.”
He was quick to respond, “Well, even if it’s not your favorite, you should always try to take something away from every class!”
Even when he was sick, he tried to get me to see the good in one of my least favorite law school classes.
During that phone conversation, one of my last with him, I asked how the food was at the Del Ray Medical Center, and he said: "it's a better menu than at the West Palm Retirement Community, you get to choose a meat or fish, and they have soups, and they brought me TWO main courses tonight. I ordered tuna, but I got both tuna AND roast beef!"
And when I asked if my grandmother was there with him, he said: “for appearance sake, she comes every day. It’d be a disgrace in the Community! People would say: 'you mean you're not going to the hospital.'”
Even in his last few days, he maintained his optimistic attitude, positive outlook, and sense of humor.
For the rest of my life, every time I do something that I know he’d be proud of, I’ll look at his yellow and white striped t-shirt which still sits in my closet and think of him.
Albert Einstein once said: “Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation.” So, Grandpop, you will live on forever through me. I love and miss you.
posted by Eliza at 4:02 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home