Fishing with Papa

In lieu of my grandmother's passing, several years ago during the holiday season, I would like to touch on the wonderful gift she left behind (if only for the time being). We love you, Papa!! Here are some reasons why:

1. My grandfather has taken up writing the family Christmas letters since my grandmother's passing (he never misses any of the seven children with their accompanying children's birthday cards either).

2. My grandfather goes to church every single day of the week to kneel down and pray for at least an hour. 

3. My grandfather has a more acute memory than myself or even any of my children. He can remember events that signify his personal recording of their daily lives. He is also known for relentless reading, scientific calculations, and political pondering that we (myself mostly) can barely understand. I am always inspired to go home and read after visiting with my Papa - each and every time. 

4. My grandfather has given each of his seven children and assortment of grandchildren/great grandchildren a wonderful statement on how to treat a wife. All of our family has always agreed that Papa relentlessly doted on Grandma (all of her life). If it wasn't that he wrote a book about her, in his spare time that depicted her as eloquent and beautiful as his other love (a black angus he raised in Madison Lakes), it was his quest to give his wife breaks with the seven children (all under age eight at one time) each and every weekend (at the zoo/park) so that his wife could get some rest. Have you ever heard of such a man? And to this day, he makes arrangements (such as above), with all of his children/grandchildren because he says, "When you get to be my age, you will realize all that matters in this world is your family."  

5. My grandfather sends praise and love to each and every person he meets. He has always lifted, understood, complimented and raised up those around us. Everything is interesting to my grandfather. He has time to talk to the man gardening the landscape, the professor exacting out chemistry and the homeless man that has come in from the streets to get warm. I love my Papa, can you tell? Thanks for letting us borrow him a little longer, Grandma!!