When I first met him, he immediately reminded me of my grandpa Charlie. A straight shooter with a warm, warm heart who just wanted to chat and tell his stories. His name is Jim and he was our dinner date this evening. Keri, my sis-in-law invited me to yoga and dinner with her friend. Yoga was a killer but super fun and sweaty. But the real fun came afterwards when we all met for dinner. I didn't know that Keri's friend's father-in-law was going to join us but I was so happy. He sipped on his red wine and told us stories of how he landed his job on wall street, went to the Korean War, spent 6 months in a hospital for fear he had TB (but didn't) and why he moved to Park City. He told us about his health and he would follow it all up with, "But who am I to complain." He was kind enough to let us tell a few stories of our own.
I spoke a bit about my grandpa and how much I loved him. I said that he was a similar straight shooter that would tell you to your face if you had bad breath because he would want you to know and wouldn't know any other way to do it. He had dinner with us practically every night when we were growing up. The funny thing is that I always knew how lucky I was to be that close to my grandpa. I always knew how special he was and how much he meant to our community. I hope my kids see their grandparents that way. I hope they listen to their stories of life and lessons and everything inbetween and know that there is so much to appreciate and learn from them.
I feel like I could have sat there with Jim and the girls forever. I miss my grandpa Charlie every single day and tonight Jim reminded me of how important it is to spend time with our elders. To hear their stories and let them shine. Boy they deserve it. As we left, Jim was saying goodbye to everyone...especially the ladies. I can't wait to meet him for lunch and hear more. Thanks for dinner Keri!
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