On a brighter note, it is now spring break! I've pulled myself out of my rut and am now typing this post. I thought I should share a few brighter photos of the week!
Made a stop at Starbucks
My second cousin Jonah and I (:
(Don't judge me, I'm quite obsessed with Titanic. Can't wait for it to come out in theaters !)
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Lastly, here's a small paper I wrote on my grandpa
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I’ve never had someone believe in me as much as my Papa Art did. He didn’t know what I was up to day by day, how I acted, or who I spoke to. He couldn’t see me at school or at home. But somehow, he knew that I would succeed and that everything would be alright. He trusted me as an individual and helped me through so many hardships. Even though he passed on, his words and wisdom still stay with me. I still think of him whenever I am lost. Even when he’s not here, he is still an ally to me.
My papa grew up as an only child and was a hopeless romantic. He met my grandmother at a dance, where he went straight up to her and said, “I’m going to marry you and we’re going to have six kids”. My grandma thought it was “quite the line”. Little did she know that my papa was right. They ended up getting married and actually having six children. Throughout the years, he became a wonderful husband and father. He fought in the war and even liberated a concentration camp. Doing all this, he was inspired to continue to work hard. If anyone could describe him in one word it would be enthusiastic. He was always working hard and putting others before him, treating everyone equally. He encouraged others to be enthusiastic about their tasks. Whenever you asked him how he was, he would simply say, “better and better”.
Every time I went over to my grandparents’ house, my papa would be sitting there with the largest grin on his face. He had the biggest smile and it could just put a smile on everyone else’s faces. He would look at me and my sisters and simply tell us that we were getting prettier and prettier each day. I never left that house feeling sad. I always left feeling happy about myself because he would always just smile at me, compliment me, and purely make me feel like I was the most important person in the world. My papa also encouraged everyone to go to college. He wanted to be responsible for all his grandchildren’s degrees. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be so determined to get into a great school. He would always ask me, “Michigan or Michigan State?” He was a huge Michigan fan and since both my sisters attend State, I knew he was hoping I would say Michigan. I would tell him I haven’t decided. He would just say, “You can go to any school you want”.
Every year, our entire family would get together in July for a huge birthday celebration. Most of our family members’ birthdays are in July including my sister’s, mother’s, and my Papa Art’s. Years would pass and each celebration, my papa would make a grand speech to the whole family. His speeches were so inspiring and you would just get lost in them. He spoke of his life and his children, grandchildren, and so on. He would get so emotional, that sometimes my aunt would have to take over while he cried. You could definitely tell that he was genuine. As the years went on, my papa kept getting older and older. The speeches became shorter and shorter. We could tell that he was getting weaker.
March of 2012, we found out that my papa was so weak, that he wasn’t going to make it much longer. My family went to visit and my papa wasn’t sitting in the living room with a huge grin on his face like usual. We went upstairs to his room, and there he was, sleeping in his bed, hooked up on a breathing machine, looking small and fragile. It was frightening to see. When he woke up, you could tell that it would take all his strength to even look up. But, when he found out that my sisters and I were there, he had the nurse help him and soon enough he was sitting up on the bed. The huge grin that was so familiar appeared on his face. He just smiled at us and we held his hand. He then said, “Prettier and prettier every day,” to us. His voice was barely a whisper. My mom then asked him how he was and in that same frail voice he forced out the words “better and better”.
About five days later, we got the call that my papa had passed away. He was ninety-five years old. I was extremely sad at first and I still am. But, I realized that my papa wouldn’t want me to be sad. He would want me to continue on with my life, be happy, and shine. If it wasn’t for him, I would probably give up. He was such an inspiration to me and it seemed as if he was the only one who believed in me. He had a wonderful life and touched the lives of so many people. Even though he is gone, he is still an ally to me. I will always remember him. Now, whenever someone asks me how I am, whether I am sad, mad, or okay, I always say “better and better”.
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