I still remember the little things. Like how I had a mouthful of fruit snacks in my mouth while I was sobbing because I finally realized my brother moved out, or when my sister and I used to watch One Direction music videos while she was babysitting me. Although I still remember, one very little thing that turned into a huge moment in my life. It was a walk with my grandpa–just a walk–but it was the conversation held in the walk that truly made it something special.
I remember the day was warm, and I had just woken up in my grandparent’s humble abode in my PJ’s. While I was eating breakfast, I was convinced to go on a walk with my Papa because the day was “so nice” and “too good to miss out on.” Well, I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of a walk in the hot sun after I had just woken up. Ultimately, I lost and got ready to leave the house for a walk with my Papa.
About midway through the walk, he asked me if I had ever been to a Major League Baseball (MLB) game. I said no because I was too young to ever go to one, and he promised me that he would take me sometime. What felt like years to a young kid like me must have been moving like a train for him because everything he did was perfect. He took me to my first MLB game–the Tigers versus the Twins. I still remember that the Tigers won that day, and to see my Papa happy that day was the best thing he could have ever done. He showed me everything there was to know about Comerica Park and all the old players that he used to watch as a kid. It was incredible, beyond what words could describe.
I miss him and remember him every day, and because he fulfilled his promise to me, I will always remember him as an honest, hard-working family man that I look up to every day. Sometimes I pretend he is here just to make me feel a little better, and that someone is by my side. He has done nothing but impact the lives of his friends and family. He was always there for us no matter what.
I didn’t get a chance to say my last goodbye. I had no words for what I was feeling the day I found out.
We were at one of his favorite places for a family vacation, a cottage that we rented. I just woke up at 7:31 a.m. on July 1, 2021. My dad walked in to tell me the news, and I surprisingly didn’t cry at first. But, man, did I cry a lot after. On the final day we were there, I sat in the chair he used to sit in every morning looking out at the water. I cried a lot that day, much more than you could imagine.
I wear a necklace, a silver bullet with an American flag on it in his honor every day. It shows how important he was to me and that, even after he’s gone, he makes an impact on me and his family to this day.
