The photo was taken the day of my grandfather's memorial and funeral service over Labor Day weekend.

We all reflect and remember different things in our own way and I thought that I would share a few thoughts and memories that I have my Grandpa.
You may need to know a little back ground about my family to understand the history behind a few of the things that I remember most and why.
For example a Car ride: as a child I would sing or hum about anything. My sisters would get so annoyed or so they say... I'd sing about nothing and everything "oh look at the pretty fence..." little did they know that grandpa is the one that taught me to hum or sing about anything. Grandpa would sing the same little tune while cooking, while working in the yard or just sitting in his chair. It was always "Oh my sweetheart... my love..."

As all of you know he was a kind, caring and giving man that sought out the best and good in all people. He loved the playing cards with Auntie and Uncle Butchie, playing the lottery, watching wheel of fortune, reading western books, and making sure that each and every one of us knew just how much he loved us.

Who and what is a grandfather: A grandfather to me is the sweet smell of his pipe as we would enter the garage/service door I would know that "I'm home. "
The tastes of the wonderful foods that he would make to show us just how much he loved us. "Grandpa we are still very full!"

The brandy old fashion that was made the minute we walked in the door always making sure that my mom had more than one olive in her glass.

The Easter egg hunts with more coins than we could count, hidden in the eggs, the special holidays when bunny or reindeer tracks traveled through the kitchen a mess that grandma was always stuck cleaning up!
To the nicknames of Miss Laura, Miss Kate, Miss Paula, Miss Maia, Miss Sonja, and "sveedie" (even though his Swedish heritage was only through the loving marriage of 56 years to my grandmother Sarah Ann).

A final thought that I wanted to leave you with is that we are all here for one reason... to share in the joy, the stories, the songs, the laughter and the memories that we hold in celebration of his life. Bring the people in your life these same joys!