Happy Birthday Grandpa!

April 25, 2025

Now I get to talk about the actual trup I mentioned in my last post. I had thought about putting this all together in one post but it grew enough to split into two.

So. My extended family is pretty well scattered across the United States.I don’t see any of my aunts or uncles or cousins very often. It’s only at Christmas or other special occasions. This trip was for a very special occasion.

This was to celebrate my grandfather’s 100th birthday.

It was as lively a party as I think I’ll ever see for that milestone. There was a good collection of relatives, along with a dozen or so friends and neighbors.

My grandfather is a very lucky man, in more ways than just surviving so long. He made it through the Second World War mostly unharmed¹. He had a good career as a professor and historian, and he was able to buy a house. He still lives in his own house. He has lots of friends. He is in as good health as you can be at that age; he looks like he could pass for 80. It’s really astonishing. He attributes this to “the grace of God and good genes.” I can’t argue with that.

Unfortunately, I don’t know him as well as I’d like. As I said, everybody lives far away from everybody else and these visits are rare. He has written a memoir, and I have a copy. At least there’s that.

I had a nice time. There were a lot of hugs passed around. Still, at the back of my mind is the thought that this is likely to be the last time I see him in person. However, the feeling, if not the reality behind it, is tempered by reminding myself that I could say the same thing of every visit with him for the last decade. It’s a somber thought, but that’s just what you get for caring about people.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!