"I will leave memories..."

"What do you think will happen when you die?" "I will leave memories..."

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Everyone has a person. The first person you go to you in the good, and the bad; the person that can be honest with you, regardless of how difficult their honesty may be; the person that can make you laugh - genuinely laugh; the person that you can sit with, in absolute silence, and still feel the weight of the world being lifted from your shoulders. My person is my Opa.

Opa passed away in June 2016. Weeks after he passed & even occasionally now, I have found myself habitually driving the route to the hospital, where he once lived; or, having the sudden urge to share my thoughts or news, good or bad, with Opa. For so long, I struggled with how or who would take his place; however, at this point, I don't necessarily think that I care to 'replace' him nor do I think anyone can replace him & the connection we had. Mitch Albom, in his book 'Tuesdays with Morrie', wrote: "Death ends a life, not a relationship."

Our relationship consisted of daily visits drinking coke & rum (for him, I couldn't & still can't handle an Opa level drink), eating cookies (this, I can handle), & discussing every aspect of life. The life lessons that manifested during these visits have become so integrated into the way I choose to live my life. During one of these visits I asked him, "What do you think will happen when you die?" He responded, "I will leave memories..."

Referring to Mitch Albom's quote, I feel like in order for me to stay connected with my person & to continue this relationship that I am so deeply fond of, I need to revisit these lessons. In doing so, I have decided to share these lessons & these memories with you, in hopes that you too can be inspired by this incredible man & to ensure his memories live on.

93 years of wisdom, of challenges, of reward, of love, and of memories; welcome to the 'life lessons' series.