March 3

98 years ago today my sweet and lovely grandfather was born.  He died just under 2 years ago.   Pop's gentle spirit and witty sense of humor have greatly influenced me.  He was a kind man, a gentleman in every sense of the word.  He was progressive -- believing in human (and animal) rights and seeing the world through an ecofriendly viewpoint decades before it was in style.  His favorite activities were riding his bike and sailing (both people powered) and horses and pool (in an homage, I'm sure, to his childhood on the plains of South Dakota where his father owned a livery stable and a pool hall).

Pop wasn't a real rable-rouser but more of a quiet sort.  When I would visit him, he had his list of questions he'd run through -- checking in on our loved ones -- and when that was through, we would often talk current events.  He would often be a voice of calm reason, wondering why we humans didn't treat each other better.  Pop wasn't religious in a praise-God type of way (or really in any sort of way), but he was a profoundly in touch with being kind, doing right, achieving fairness.  He quietly respected my grandmother's (and subsequently my parents') Catholic beliefs.

I still miss him dearly and I always will.  I could use a dose of his gentle sensibilities these days.

And, a bit more recently, 1 year ago, my eldest son dislocated his shoulder on the playground.  He and I were reminiscing about that yesterday -- can't believe it's been a year already.  Much has happened but wow did that year go by quickly.