Pearl 40: Keep Reminders of Those You Love Close at Hand

Dearest Gehrig, Ruby and Eliana,

I apologize for the delay in writing.  Granny and I spent an entire eight weeks in Mexico this winter.  Fortunately, Ruby, you got to spend a week down in Cabo San Lucas with us and Eliana and Gehrig, you were there for two whole weeks.  What a blast!  We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.  But, now we are quite behind on our other obligations back here in the real world.

When Granny and I were driving down to Mexico, she introduced me to a new music station on our Sirius/XM satellite radio that she had found.  It is called Coffee House and it plays a broad selection of eclectic music; everything from 1960’s and 70’s folk songs and protest songs to new age alternative and, like the name implies, coffee house ballads.  The music is great and I liked this new station immediately.  When I asked Granny how she stumbled onto this station she said she just found it one day and fell in love with it.  She said when she wants to listen to music these days, Coffee House is her favorite station.  She was so passionate in that statement I asked her why she liked it so much and she said, “I love it because it reminds me of Brittany”. 

Now, Ruby, you know that Brittany is our youngest daughter and your mom.  And as much as we love you three grandkids, Brittany and her sister, Brandi, are two of our most favorite people in the world.  But I guess hearing Granny say that the reason she listens to a particular radio station’s music is because it reminds her of our daughter just struck me as a significant indicator of love.  Which kind of brings me to my next Pearl:

Fortieth Pearl:  “Keep Reminders of Those You Love Close at Hand”

You know, we can’t always be close to the ones we love.  Eliana and Gehrig, you live in New Jersey, over 2,000 miles away.  Ruby, you live in Austin, and even though that is much closer to us, we can’t be with you as much as we would like.  Our daughters, your moms, and our sons-in-law, your dads, are in the same boat.  Not down at the end of the block, so to say.  All of Granny’s family (sisters, brother and dad) live 100 miles or more away in other cities and my sister, your Aunt Sandy, lives up in Oregon, as far away as New Jersey in the other direction.  In our minds we can see you everyday and we jog our memory with photos, phone calls, emails, Skype, old Christmas cards, pictures you have drawn framed on our walls and now even music.  These reminders keep us connected.  They are an important part of our lives because you guys are so important to us.  So we surround ourselves with them.

Even though we cannot see you, face-to-face, and hug you and give you kisses all the time, we think about you often because physically you might live far away but emotionally you live in our hearts…..every hour of everyday.

Love you bunches and bunches.

Grandpa Jud