Tribute to Gramps

Over this last summer, my grandpa passed away. As you can see in my profile to the side, I have posted a picture of me and him when I was merely 8 years old.

I feel I owe a lot to my grandpa. I believe he taught me how to give people bunny ears (or at least how to perfect the art), he taught me how to make lots of noise with a harmonica, he taught me how to play poker, he taught me how to spit watermelon seeds . . . he taught me how to have fun.

Grandpa was always so fun and just enjoyed us grandchildren to the fullest. He took us out to see the Christmas lights in the neighborhood every year, he took us to see the lighted fountain by Dearborn Michigan's library (I believe now the colors are gone), he took us sledding at Ford Field, and in the summer we could always depend on grandpa for a Dairy Queen trip.

We would go to restaurants and they would ask "smoking or non?" My non-smoking grandpa would say, "Doesn't matter, I'll smoke if I have to." Most of the time, that would get a chuckle from the hostess.

He would pile us all into his big blue truck, including his dog Missy, and we would go to the park. We would climb to the top of the space shuttle and lift off from earth. We would ask him to push us up to the sky on the swings.

Yeah, I miss Grandpa. And I especially miss the days of being young. Though his body wore out, I am glad that he now has a glorified one in heaven and is probably outrunning the saints. A running back from the University of Michigan and feisty by nature, he may be wearing out the angels as well.   : )

Grandpa was a great man and I just wanted to share that with you!

Among stars

"When you shoot for the moon and miss, you are still among stars." 

I first heard this expression when I was in high school. Our marching band instructor used it as a motivational phrase to help us realize that as long as we gave it our best, then we were stars. I don't know where he heard it or if he made it up but it has stuck with me for the last 14 or so years (wow, I just made myself feel old).

There is so much emphasis in this country on having to be the best and having to be recognized for it. People are so competitive to the point it becomes hurtful and overly aggressive. The problem is, that is so not in my nature. Sure, I can be competitive when playing games and so forth, but I can't imagine pushing people down in life just to receive material success.

This phrase makes me smile because it truly illuminates the idea that it doesn't matter if you win first place in every contest. If you performed better than you believed you could and/or you know there is no way possible that you could have produced higher quality, then you are a bright shining star.

Sure, some may say it is corny. I say, well maybe a little but I'd rather have a little corniness in life than to try and keep up with the cold and brutal world around me. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mean that on an individual basis, I mean that about our society as a whole.

These are just my thoughts, you don't have to agree. That's what's great about life -- we can "agree to disagree."