this past weekend we all got together for my Grandpa Bob’s funeral, to celebrate his life and say goodbye. we all had a chance to speak — first my dad and my uncle, then my brother and sisters and I — and everyone hit similar notes: he was sweet and kind; he loved his family; he was a good man. we all used words like safe and warm and home, and described how he consistently made you want to be the best version of yourself, because he believed you already were. I wasn’t planning to speak at the service but decided to with my siblings at the last minute, so I didn’t have a chance to organize and process my thoughts in writing as I normally would. as a result I have felt semi-regretful ever since, like there was more I could have said, or said better, and I’ve had that nagging feeling I forgot something important. what I did say is how thankful I am to have been his granddaughter for so long; he and my grandma and I have always been close and I’ve never taken that for granted. this week I’ve been looking through old pictures, trying to decide which ones to post, only to get overwhelmed because none of them felt quite right – and then today I came across this one. this photographic evidence of what I haven’t yet expressed: how lucky I am that my grandfather knew my children. they adored him and he thought they hung the moon. he called with my grandmother to sing happy birthday and they called him Bob and held his hand down the street. what a rare and precious gift. this weekend I told my grandma I keep expecting to find him in a chair somewhere, because he was always in a chair somewhere; he was, overall, an all-there-always-there kind of guy. I didn’t realize until recently that he started out as a photographer, which makes a ton of sense because he always gave his undivided attention; he made you feel special and interesting and known and seen. it’s been really nice to go through these albums -- sitting around the table with my family as we take comfort in knowing he’s still with us in the memories, that for now we can be together there. I’ve attached a few pictures as a carousel; no. 7 is him teaching me to dive and no. 8 is my fave. love you, gpa 🫶🏼🫶🏼