From My Grandfather

I want to introduce you to one of the most beautiful men I have been blessed to know.
 

It is an honor to call this man my grandfather.  Today my grandfather turns 90 years old.  90 years old!  It amazes me every time I say it.

Turning 90 is a big deal to begin with, but my family will cherish this birthday even more because we know that it almost did not occur.  In the summer of 2011, my grandfather was run over by his own suburban.  Even though it was hard to stand in his room and see him unable to communicate well or recognize us, all you wanted to do was sit in the ICU waiting room until your turn to go visit him came around again.  I learned a lot during that time in the hospital and the months of his recovery.  I am still learning from this experience and feel so blessed to continue to learn from his example.

Some people call him and his peers our greatest generation. This statement has a lot of truth to it. He is hard working, generous, virtuous, convicted, faithful, honest, kind, loving, etc. He is a man of few words with a quiet strength about him, a deep love for his family, and wisdom combined with wit making everything he says a joy to hear.



We couldn't just pose normally for a picture.  I think we get it from him.



Here's a sample of some of my favorite things he's said throughout the years that I thankfully wrote down.

 

Quoting his father about boys:

"If you have one boy, you have a boy.  If you have two boys, you have half a boy.  If you have three boys, you have no boy at all."

Opening a fortune cookie after getting dentures:

"Maybe my fortune will say, 'Your new teeth will make food taste better.'"

On the jack-o-lantern bucket in the garden:

"I put that bucket out so the pumpkins will know what to grow into."

On ice cream:

"That's the thing about ice cream.  You can have an okay meal and it smooths it out.  It used to be only for Sunday and now you can have it everyday.  I support that."



Oh how we love him!