I remember Grandpa

I've had this post written for about a month now but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to post it. One reason being I just couldn't figure out how to end it, I just kept thinking there was so much more, how do I condense everything? Another reason I guess in some way I knew that by posting it I would be admitting that both of them are gone and I just wasn't ready to do that yet and than I realized I won't ever be ready for that. Instead I can just be thankful that I had them in my life and my childrens lives for so long. Remember them every chance I get and pass on those memories and lessons they taught me.

I remember ...
...he wore black work shoes with taps on them. He told us he got tired of always having to get them resoled so he put metal taps on them instead. You could hear him tapping his way down the street.


...him taking us kids to the local park, especially the handball courts. He'd give each of us an old wooden tennis racket and a couple tennis balls and just let us at it.


...he would stop at the liquor store pick up some Rocky Road candy bars for Grandma than let us each pick out a treat plus we would each get a box of poppers.


...him driving us around with his dog Ginger and Ginger would sit in the seat behind him and during red lights she would put her paws on the back of his seat and lick his head.


...every morning when we woke up he would sing to us "Good Morning to You! Good Morning to You!"


…even when we weren't kids anymore and into our college years, even when I had kids of my own whenever he came to visit he would make sure to stop at his local butcher shop and get us a big dill pickle.


…the stories he would tell about his childhood. Like when he wanted to see what smoking would be like. He had seen his dad roll his own cigarettes so he thought he could do the same. Except he used newspaper and tree bark. When he lit it up it burn so fast, he lost his eyebrows. Or how they lived in canyon so whenever he got in trouble-which was a lot, you'd hear his name being echoed throughout the town.


…at every party, after cake, he could be found on a floor or in a chair somewhere taking a nap. And I really remember the one time he was napping on the floor and Pepper was playing with a balloon and popped it right by his head, boy did he just shoot right up.


…Even though they lived over an hour away they came to all our school performances and as many games as they could. I could hear him shouting "Yey Mejia!!!!" from the stands.


…kids thinking he looked like Santa Claus, which was fueled even more when Gma knit him a red hat with white pompom. There would be a kid acting up in the store and he would look at them and pretend to write something in his notepad and the kid would immediately start to behave.


…all the cousins painting their handprints on a shirt for him and him wearing that shirt until it fell apart.


…after every meal he would close himself in the kitchen put his radio on-talk shows, and do the dishes. All by hand.



...every morning his breakfast consisted of a block of shredded wheat, mixed with cornflakes, and sweeted condensed milk.


…no matter where we went, who we were with he would always strike up a conversation with someone(s). He just loved to talk and meet new people. Of course he also loved to stir up trouble.

...the first time he met Moe, I introduced them and Moe went to shake his hand but instead Gpa gave him a huge bear hug. Moe was speechless and I just laughed.

…that even up until the last time we saw him, he always talked about how beautiful Gma was and how he knew she was one.


And I am so blessed that my last memory of him is a great one. We were saying our goodbyes, about to leave for the airport. The whole time we had been in Texas, Joaquin had been very greedy with his hugs and kisses. So when we told him to say Good bye, we weren't expecting much. Imagine our surprise when he grabbed Gpa by the cheeks and gave him a big old SMACK!!!! Gpa was so happy "I'd been waiting the whole week for that!!!"