Dear Grandpa,

When I think of you I think of the first time we went fishing. Having to get up at 4:30 to get to where ever we were going by 7. You had everything ready for me, the poles, the tackle boxes, the bait and the snacks for the day. We got in the truck around 5, listening to your country music and I fell asleep in second to be awaken by the ducks in the lake. We pulled up near the edge of the lake and began to unload to truck. Thinking back the only thing I can compare the smell to was Henshaw and the salt water lake-maybe we went there. You baited my hook and taught me how to overhead cast. Within minutes you helped me reel in my first fish, a catfish. That day we probably caught 20 or so catfish in total. On the way home we listened to more country music and didn’t talk too much, just enjoyed to bright sun and the stench of fish we were leaving a trail of. When we got home the fish got sun baked. The disappointment of us not being able to actually have the fish was quickly diminished. You set up the little, plastic circular pool for me and McNeilly to play in while grandma made us all lunch.

Grandpa, Grandma misses you so much. She can’t stand being in the house alone but she can’t leave. Almost every night one of us comes to visit to check up on how her day was, sometimes she shows us pictures or we just sit and watch T.V. together. She doesn’t like to talk about you too much because it makes her upset and hard to sleep, she loves and misses you. She always makes sure your Navy awards are on display and your picture from when you first joined. You're still in all of our lives and we miss you so much. Even after eight years we think of you all the time. The way you wiggled your ear to make us laugh, how you always made us clean up our toys before going to do something else and to also keep a hanky near by. Happy 87th birthday! I love you so much.

-Your Sera