Christmastime. A time for family and friends. For food and music and presents and joy. And a time for remembering those who are no longer with us, whom you miss dearly and still think of often.
I lost my grandfather my freshmen year of high school, and around this time of year I always find my thoughts straying to him. Perhaps it's the darkness of the days or just my own romantic tendencies. Either way, I find myself reminded of a wonderful man who was full of laughter, wit, and kindness.
My grandfather had a great passion for words, poetry in particular. He often sung while working, old ballads and folks songs, and was able to recite large passages of poetry from memory. He was also full of quirky old sayings that could be applied to many of the ordinary things in life.
I was discussing a friend of mine with my mother recently who has been having some troubles with her manfriend. Although my opinion really doesn't count for much, as it is not my relationship, I was sharing some of my thoughts on her manfriend's decision to write my friend a letter detailing all the things that he thought should be fixed in the relationship. Besides the content itself, I was a little bit upset at the whole concept of making these demands in a letter.
My mother turned to me and she said, "I once had a similar situation with a guy. I think I was trying to break up with him, and was going to chicken out and just write him a letter. I was at home discussing it with Mama when your grandfather turned around and said:
Say it with flowers
Or say it with mink
But whatever you do
Don't say it with ink!
And you know what? He was right."
So I thought I would share that with you all, dear audience. A small snippet of insight into the man that I miss so dearly around the holidays. Hope you all are enjoying your time with your families. Merry Christmas!
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