Happy Birthday, Grandpa Alex

Happy birthday, Grandpa! I think you would have been 111 years old today.

I really still miss you. I love that we almost share a birthday and yours goes right into mine. With my dad and brother also born in March, this time of year was always a whole “holiday season” unto itself. When I turned 10 we were visiting my grandparents in Florida and they threw a surprise party for me. But there were so many birthdays that week that when I walked in and everyone was singing “Happy Birthday,” I joined in thinking it was for someone else, until they said my name and I realized it was for me.

Birthdays are always a time of reflection for me – high hopes and sometimes disappointments because I revisit the high hopes I set the year before and honestly, a year is a short amount of time. With grandpa gone since I was 18 (now 19 years ago) it’s hard to believe that he’s been gone this year longer than I knew him. His memory is still fresh to me, and I think that’s because he was such a distinctive character. He was loving, smart, complicated, at times intimidating, larger-than-life, and funny. I wish I could know him as an adult. I wish he could meet his great grandson, sing to him, teach him gin rummy, and give him a gibberish nickname. I have so many questions that I’d like to ask him but never had the chance. Whoops, I didn’t mean to turn maudlin, I feel celebratory that he was – and continues to be – part of my life.

Here’s to you, Grandpa.

I have no doubt that some of my parenting style comes from having been exposed to your love, humor, sense of justice, and knack for storytelling. I hope you know we all still eat lots of spaghetti in your honor.

Love,

Chippee Choopee – which we’ll never know how to spell.

P.S. Here are previous birthday posts for Alex, since I’ve now maintained the blog for quite a few of them: