This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

*My Old Gent*

My Dearest Old Gent,
     Grandfather this is very painful. I hope and pray that writing you will be therapeutic and help me cope with losing you.
     With each word I write I see a thousand memories of you and of us. I shed Niagra tears. I love you. Your wisdom, your stories and your humor is forever in my heart.
     Everywhere I look I see you. I see us the way we were. I see us at Cattle Congress in Iowa. I was 4 and you gave me shiny silver dollars.
     I see us in Virginia. I was 10. We played that hover-above, hand-slap game. You'd laugh and I'd laugh. You'd scratch your head to fool me and quick slap my hand, "Got cha."
     When I was 16 we visited Grandma Hess (your mother) in Chicago. We played scrabble til wee hours in the morning. I remember placing the word "camera" on a triple score. I was lucky.
     Oh, Papa George, I miss you so much. I see us in my kitchen making spaghetti with your heavenly secret sauce. You'd say, "A watched pot never boils."
     I have a lifetime of memories with you. I see us sitting on my couch reading poetry. And I see us in my '57 Chevy. I'd drive while you recited from memory, Ogden Nash poems.
     I can't stop seeing us. I see us at the zoo, at Sea World, and at Disneyland. Gosh, I miss you so much, my heart breaks with each word I write.
     Remember when Nana was in the hospital? We worried so about losing her. We held hands and walked to the coffee shop. When we lost her we cried so hard. We didn't know what to do.
     I love you my old gent. Remember at Christmastime when I got us lost at the Hotel Del Coronado? I took us to view the spectacular lobby tree (our tradition). Somehow I made a wrong turn (as we walked hand in hand) and we ended up in the hotel's kitchen. Good grief. Finally we found the majestic tree and stood in awe.
     We were blessed to spend quality time together Papa George. I'll never forget a single smile or tear. I even remember you taught me to fish. We fished off the dock on the Sanford, Florida lake in your backyard. What a memorable summer I spent with you and Nana when I was 16.
     I miss you repeating,"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy," when you were upset. I miss you jingling the change in your pockets when you were bored. I even miss you teasing my girls until I'd yell, "That's enough Papa George!"
     I glance into space and see your face. I hear your voice. I hear your laugh and your cough. I even hear the way you'd clear your throat. Oh, George.
     Through the years you've given me and my family so much. Thank you Grandfather. Thank you for believing in me and encouraging me to believe in myself.
     Your advice will always live in my heart. I won't forget your advice. Especially, "You'll get more bees with honey than vinegar." And, "Approach a man with closed fists;he'll come at you with closed fists. Approach a man with open arms and he'll have open arms."
     I remember all of your sayings. One of my favorites is, "Words from a wise man's mouth are seeds. You can toss them aside or plant them." Your words are planted deep in my heart.
     I need many pages to write everything you've taught me and everything you mean to me. It's not the same when I wear this old sweater of yours. It smells like me now.
     Did you know I saved all your poems, cards and letters? I think I'll make a special scrapbook with pictures of us and your writings. Do you believe I still have your Army Portrait?
     It's late. With a huge knot in my throat, I shed yet another tear as I force myself to say, "Farewell my old gent, I'll never forget and I'll never stop loving you."

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?