Sometimes It's the Little Things

Want to be remembered? Teach a kid something!

Yesterday was Memorial Day. Our family, like so many others, takes the opportunity on this day each year to visit the cemetaries and share some family history. We always leave feeling closer to our passed relatives and to each other.

I never knew most of my grandparents well. One passed before I was born, and two others died when I was young. My maternal grandpa, however, lived until I was a teen. In fact, I was only a little older than my daughter is now. With more memories of him than the other grandparents, it is easy for me to share stories of him with her.

Yesterday I was talking with her about the last time I saw Grandpa. It was at a wedding reception. As usual, he had all the time in the world for his grandkids. We were talking about how fortunate it was for the bride and groom that the weather that day turned out so well because it sure looked like storms in the morning.

Grandpa explained to me that he knew it would likely get better. He told me that the barometer was rising, which generally indicates good weather. If it had been falling he would have expected rain.

That day he taught me a lesson about weather, but over time it became much more.

To this day I pay attention to the barometer when making plans. When I do, I think of him. Sometimes I remember that day, and other times I remember so much more.

It took until yesterday, though, for me to realize how easy it is to be memorable. (It's been over thirty years. I guess I'm a bit slow sometimes.) Grandpa loved us and made it obvious by sharing his time with us. Yet of all the memorable stories and life events he shared with us, it was the teaching moment that stands out. At that wedding he taught me something I would be able to use for the rest of my life. In the process, his teaching now connects me to him.

Thanks, Grandpa. Now I just have to check the weather to feel loved.