Remembering

Mason is 8 months old today however the 8 month post will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm not sure why we honor our loved ones on the anniversary of their passing as opposed to any other day of their life but I've been thinking about my grandpa all week so it felt appropriate to share a picture of him today. Although my Grandpa Jay passed away 4 years ago today it feels like it was just yesterday I was doing his grocery shopping.

I spent Wednesdays and Fridays with Grandpa Jay from the time I was 6 weeks old until I was in junior high. He was one of the biggest influences (if not the biggest influence) on my life and in shaping who I am as a person. I know parents and grandparents aren't supposed to have "favorites" but it is no secret that I was Grandpa Jay's favorite. I've never met anyone with a heart as big as his and a hug as genuine. Every time we said goodbye, especially toward the later years, he would tell me how proud of me he was-- whether or not I had done anything to warrant it. My grandpa was the creator of the "handmade" birthday or Christmas card... it was always a note written in pencil on a white lined piece of note paper. I have a box stuffed full of them.

Grandpa Jay bought every one of his children (2), grandchildren (5), and great grandchildren (12) their first bicycles and every year he would take us all to Apple Hill to get a big box of apples for each family. My childhood is marked by memories of annual trips to Clear Lake for fishing and paddleboating, spring break road trips to Arizona for Giants spring training, back-to-school shopping and 4th of July birthday celebrations with the whole family.

Every Wednesday for as long as I can remember I would go with Grandpa Jay to help him with his grocery shopping. He drank 3 gallons of milk every week-- THREE! That probably helped attribute to the fact that he lived until the age of 90 and worked every day all the way up to the end. His kitchen was always stocked with Pringles, Pop Tarts, six different kinds of cereal, ice cream, several brands of soda and multiple flavors of Snapple (every grandkids' dream!) When I was 12 Grandpa would let me drive the car to do the grocery shopping... granted, it was just down the street. Then when I turned 14 he would let me go by myself!

On Fridays after school I would go over to Grandpa Jay's and dust his house, write out checks for his bills, balance his checkbook, and address envelopes to family members so he always had an envelope ready to send out his handmade birthday cards in. For birthdays he would treat the whole family to chinese food at our neighborhood chinese restaurant where they knew us by name.

Mason was named after my grandpa in two ways. "Mason" was inspired by Grandpa Jay's long-time membership in the Freemason society. Grandpa was so honored the year he received his 50-year member certificate and had it displayed in a frame in his living room. "JD" (Mason's middle name) were my grandpa's initials, which stood for James David. It was the best way I could think of to commemorate someone so significant in my life and to make him a part of Mason's life even though he will never know him.

To this day I have Grandpa Jay's phone number programed into my cell phone and there isn't a day that passes that I don't think of him. Here's to remembering those who have influenced our lifes and who are no longer around to see their impact.