one hundred

my dad and his parents

Today's my grandpa's birthday.

He would have been 100 years old.

He passed away when I was 9.

I don't have lots of memories of him because I didn't grow up around him.

He lived in Utah.

I lived in Alabama.

Now I live in the house that he built for his family.

It's the house that my dad grew up in.

I like that it's the house my kids are growing up in too.

I have neighbors who remember my grandpa well.

I asked one of them to share a few memories that she has of him.

(Please excuse Ray Ray and Cate making a lot of ruckus in the background. That's life with little kids.)






I love that she said "duck bumps" instead of "goose bumps."

I can't listen to her story without getting duck bumps of my own. And tears in my eyes.

This kind neighbor also told me that she remembers tending my dad when he was about 2 years old. She's pretty sure he already knew how to read at that age. She said when she was reading to him he'd stop and correct her if she missed a word. That sounds about right.

If my grandpa was still around I would have called up Willard Scott and had him added to the Smucker's spotlight on the Today Show.

That's for sure.

Happy birthday to my grandpa.