A refreshing of the heart

It has been a long time since I have actually sat down and  reflected on my memories with my grandfather and I would like to use this post to keep him fresh in my mind. He taught me more than I realized. He influenced me more than I imagined. I miss those late nights I had with him just talking. When I was really young, when Disney showed the old black and white shows at midnight, My grandpa and I would stay up until 1 am to watch Zoro. I remember thinking I was the coolest kid because I was in elementary school and I was allowed to stay up so late. When he lived with us, I learned to love chicken in any style he cooked it in. I learned that lop kay was my favorite thai dish (and no one makes it like him). I learned that his room was the best place to nap. I remember at night, not being able to sleep if he went to bed before I could fall asleep. If I couldn’t hear him snore, I’d have to go to his room and check on him.  As I got older, when he moved into a home of his own, I remember our days being more sophisticated, if you will. I was in high school and these talks were essential to all my life decisions. He would tell me not to rush into relationships, he would tell me to wear more colors and to smile more, he would tell me not to cover my eye,  he would tell me I should brush my hair more. He always had some sort of criticism but he never failed to tell me I was beautiful. He would talk to me about God and he would tell me about love. And in his moments of nostalgia, he would tell me about his childhood; about sleeping through a storm, being followed by a wild cat, being able to out run bullets in Vietnam. He (and his siblings after he passed away) taught me that my grandfather was a legend. He was fearless and he was loving.  Through those wonderful weekends with him, I learned how to make iced tea perfectly, to make Grits not clumpy, to flip an egg without breaking the yolk, to sweeten coffee just right, to sew free-handed, to fish, etc. I learned phrases like “I’ll hit you so hard, the next thing you know, you’ll know nothing” (and then he’d laugh like he was the funniest thing). I learned to appreciate country music and southern cooking.I miss him endlessly today. I feel his absence a lot today. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that its my mom’s birthday and she is missing him too. But I miss him nonetheless. I’d do anything to hear him call me “sugar-foot” again.

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