To be honest with you, I've only really started appreciating Memorial Day a couple of years ago. Before, it was always the question, "beach or no beach?". When we got home today, I was checking some emails and of course, my facebook, and I came across a picture that my Uncle Drenner posted of my Paw Paw in WWII:
[caption id="attachment_271" align="aligncenter" width="453" caption="On the island of Okinawa in WWII"]
[/caption]Adam never got a chance to meet my Paw Paw because he died of liver cancer in 2000. My Paw Paw was a great man of honor, integrity, loyalty, kindness, generosity, and a whole bunch of other qualities. The best quality I think he possessed was his love. He loved the Lord first, his wife second, his family third, and his church next. The one that I most admire about him was his love for his wife.
My Maw Maw was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and instead of putting her in a nursing home, my Paw Paw chose to take care of her at home with the help of my Mom and her brothers. The amount of love that he showed towards my Maw Maw was undeniably sincere, even when she had no idea who he was or what he was doing in her house. The amount of strength he had to love and take care of his wife till death do them part was incredible. My Maw Maw went to be with the Lord in 1998 at their house in the early morning under a beautiful sunrise.
My favorite memory of my Paw Paw was when he would make his famous fudge for everyone at Christmas time! It was to die for! I found a recipe to try to mimic what he had made and it tasted just like it, only I can't find it anymore! He also taught me how to play "13". It's a solitare game where he told me, "you won't win but once every 20 times you play, but you have to play consecutive times and you have to shuffle about 20 times in between each time you play". Needless to say, I've only won a handful of times! When all the grandkids were little he would also dress up as Santa Claus and come to the house and let us sit on his lap to tell him what we wanted for Christmas.
I have so many good memories of my Grandparents and I am so thankful to have gotten to know them as I grew up! I will never forget my Maw Maw's smile and hearing her be called her nickname, "tootsie"! I will also never forget my Paw Paw's hugs and the way he looked at my sister and I when we would leave their house.
Thank you Paw Paw for your service in the military. I will forever be grateful! Someday soon we will meet again and have a huge family reunion with our Heavenly Father!! Until then, you both will always be in my heart!
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