Hey Grandpa!
First of all, Happy Birthday! Sorry it took me so long to write, but I guess today was the perfect day to finally make it happen. I wanted to come up with the perfect things to say, but I’m starting to think that isn’t going to happen. I hope you are having the best first heavenly birthday! I made a blueberry cobbler for dessert tonight, and I think you would have approved 😉 I hope you are in heaven enjoying all the blueberry desserts you could ever dream of!
I should have spent more time with you in the recent years, but I’m so glad that you and Grandma got to spend a few good years camping and rockhounding together. I don’t think I ever told you, but you were a big part of some of my favorite childhood memories. I loved going out on the boat with you as a kid, whether we were tubing, swimming at the sandbars on Lake James, or I was just watching you and Andrew fish. I’m not sure why, but I remember you playing Johnny Cash on the boat more than once, and every time I hear Ring of Fire, it takes me right back there. I also remember one time when you opened the dictionary and we had a mini spelling bee in the kitchen. I think of the 6 or 8 words you read off to me, I only spelled one wrong by like 1 letter (I don’t think I could spell that well now, honestly 😅). And I can’t forget to mention the time when I was maybe 8 or so, and I was so excited to go to Gander Mountain with you because I had never seen a mountain before. Little did I know that it was actually just an outdoor store! Or what about that time you brought home the baby geese for us to play with and take care of? I loved that! More recently, you told Nate and I that you had tried sushi for the first time. You didn’t know what the dollop of green stuff was on the plate and you ate the whole thing, only to find out that it is actually really spicy. Ever since then, when we eat sushi and see the wasabi, we both think of you and how awful that must have been. Thank you for taking the time to make these memories with me that I will cherish forever ❤️
While I wish we had spent more time together doing lots of things, one thing I always wanted to do with you was go hunting. You had so much enthusiasm about it that you made me curious. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I could actually shoot an animal, but I have come to learn that I love a good walk in the woods. Maybe I get that from you 🤷🏼♀️ I also really wanted to go camping with you and Grandma sometime. Somewhere close to Lake Michigan where I could bring the dogs, and we could go to the beach and look for rocks together. I think that would have been a lot of fun!
I’m so thankful I got to spend the last 30 years being your grandchild. Selfishly, I feel like it should have been longer. I hate to say this, but it’s been almost a year since I’ve given you a hug. I miss your laugh at our family gatherings, and I miss you calling me Tibber. I’ll spend the rest of my life missing those things, and doing more things I wish you were there for, and while it makes me sad, it also makes me that much more thankful for the time we did have. It’s also comforting to know that I have the best guardian angel looking out for me now. I know I put you to work right away when I was snorkeling in that thunderstorm in Mexico! I’ll try my best to give you a little less work from up there. Thank you for loving me so well for all those years. I miss you every day, but I feel lucky that I got to be your granddaughter. Until we meet again, I love you. Sincerely, your Tibber Tab ❤️
