You can never be fully ready or prepared for how the passing of a loved one will affect you, the thoughts and memories that will come back and all your favorite things about that person you are going to miss.
I always loved joking around with Grandpa. I don't know at what point in life this started, but we always exchanged this witty banter between one another, calling each other "good looking", "old fart", "young fart", you know, the things you say to each other. It was almost always how we started and ended visits with each other. That and hugs goodbye that turned from a warm embrace to a competition of strength of who could hug harder. And I'm really going to miss that.
Humor was one of the big things he rubbed off on me. Which is why I want to share this childhood memory, because I think it embodies a lot of him as a person. I was lucky enough to live close to my grandparents and it wasn't uncommon for us to go over there for a holiday, birthday or just a visit. One thing that you could always count on was that Grandpa was working on something in his basement wood shop, and he always said that kept him out of the bar jokingly.
This one time that we were visiting, I think it was for one of my grandparents's birthday, Grandpa said he was working on something and he wanted to show it to me. A few minutes later, he returned from the basement with what looked like a boring, wooden rectangle. A kid of elementary age wasn't quite sure what to make of this. He said "hey Jay why don't you open the door". I didn't even realize this thing had a door. But there it was, facing me. What happened next had the whole room in an uproar. When I opened the door, I saw a figure inside, who as I opened the door, stood up. With the door fully ajar now, a stream of water unexpectedly spritzed me. This was the day I learned what an outhouse was.
Grandpa was always good for a joke, a hug, helping you on a wood project, telling you how proud he was of you and that he loved you. When Grandma passed away last year, I know that couldn't have been easy for him. It's comforting to know that they are together now and my memories with him will always be there.
Love you, old fart.
