A letter I mailed to 13 of my cousins

September 1, 2009

At the burial service for Senator Ted Kennedy, several of his grandchildren took turns speaking about their grandfather. I want to share what one of his grandchildren said with you:
"But what I will miss the most are the times I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and would go to the front porch where my Grandpa would be sitting with Splash [his dog] and gazing out to sea. It would be just us on the porch for a while and we talked and talked, and I would get a feeling that the world was just right. It was me and him sitting on his porch watching a new day unfold."
I found these sentences moving and poignant. We could substitute a few words and say, "Where Grandpa would be sitting with his cup of coffee and gazing out into yard." Or "Where Grandma would be sitting with her cup of coffee and waiting for her babysitting kids to arrive." You get the picture.

I broke down in tears when I heard this reflection because it is so true. We all have many memories of Grandma and Grandpa, and many of them involve activities (fishing, baking cookies, going to Roy Lake, playing whist, etc.). Those activities were so much fun and were very memorable, but what I miss most of all is just being with Grandma and Grandpa and having a conversation with them. They would call it visiting. Oh, how I would love the opportunity to visit with them again.

I miss them every day, and am sure that you do, too. I miss all of the wisdom, kindness, and love that they shared with us. What a gift Grandma and Grandpa were to us. What a gift they continue to be for us.

Your cousin,
Steve

I'd rather irritated that only one of the 13 acknowledged receiving my letter, which I went via US Mail, not email. Oh well.