From Grandpa

I found this today. I think it is the only think that I ever received written from Grandpa and not Grandma. I didn't even know I had it but I must have kept it in my "letter, etc." folder knowing that this simple little note would mean something to me some day. Today it does.



Grandpa Bud passed away on Easter and we said goodbye to him today. Amid the smiles and memories, I was lamenting the years that passed while I took my Grandpa for granted. It wasn't until college that I started to see the importance of calling them without my Mom telling me to just to say hello and that I missed them. It wasn't until after college that I found out things about their lives that I never knew from letters from Grandma while I lived in Alaska. It wasn't until I had a child of my own that I saw the real tender and loving side of Grandpa when we would visit with Marek on our way through Minnesota. Somewhere in this time it hit me that they wouldn't be 70-years-old forever and always in our lives. I wish I had more time with Grandpa and more conversations about his life. I wish that my future children could hear him play his harmonica. I wish that we could have stopped by one last time to say goodbye on Easter.

Thank you, Grandpa, for your service to our country, for your generosity in the form of gold coins and love, and for the gift of life! I love you!