“Grandfathers are just antique little boys.”
~Author Unknown
Last week, I spoke briefly of my Papí, a beautiful man who seemed ancient before I even knew what it meant.
Papí knew I was writing, but he never got to know Writer Dad. Back in his final month, this blog was but a fast moving brainstorm still far from seeing sunlight. Papí would have been amazed, and would have loved reading all the posts and comments, or at least having them read to him.
I displayed the wonders of the internet to an open mouthed Papí a couple different times before my grandfather passed. He watched, silent as I bounced from site to site. I showed him how you could fill an imaginary shopping cart at Target dot com, and then pay with a barely audible click. I could only imagine how a man who came to this country when the Model T was still taking over the landscape was thinking about the invisible fabric now taking over our lives.
Papí understood the commerce, but had nowhere to hang it. He thought the stores existed behind the screen. I tried to clarify, but my explanation of the internet only made him want to eat candy. So did breathing.
My Papí was extraordinary. When he passed earlier this year, he was mere months shy of a century. He was an inspiration in every way. He lived with dignity, died with grace, and is forever in my heart.
For today’s Deja Vuesday, I’d like to go back to June 22 of this year, when I said adios to my Papí.
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About Sean Platt
Grandparents are the greatest. I was fortunate to have known two of my great grandparents and Great Grandma Rhea lived to be 101! She lived on her own until her late 90′s. You’ve probably read my post about my grandpa teaching me to Plan for Trouble. Some of the lessons they teach us and leavings we have from our relationships with them are priceless. Thanks for reminding me of my grandparents today as well.
B. Wildes last blog post..Life, as Luke Lives It
Grandparents are the greatest. I was fortunate to have known two of my great grandparents and Great Grandma Rhea lived to be 101! She lived on her own until her late 90′s. You’ve probably read my post about my grandpa teaching me to Plan for Trouble. Some of the lessons they teach us and leavings we have from our relationships with them are priceless. Thanks for reminding me of my grandparents today as well.
B. Wildes last blog post..Life, as Luke Lives It
O Dios Mio! Am I the first commenter…
I live your Tuesdays, this is best way for me to catch up with your earlier writings. It sounds like your Papi was an amazing man, and almost 100 that is an amazing accomplishment. Good for you, sounds like you may grow that old too.
¡Le deseo todo el mejor!
Finally some Spanish on the ‘Net. I here it all day here in Costa Rica.
Jim Gaudets last blog post..U.S. Economy: New-Home Sales Rose in September [Digg]
O Dios Mio! Am I the first commenter…
I live your Tuesdays, this is best way for me to catch up with your earlier writings. It sounds like your Papi was an amazing man, and almost 100 that is an amazing accomplishment. Good for you, sounds like you may grow that old too.
¡Le deseo todo el mejor!
Finally some Spanish on the ‘Net. I here it all day here in Costa Rica.
Jim Gaudets last blog post..U.S. Economy: New-Home Sales Rose in September [Digg]
Damn, got beat by B Wilde…
Hablé demasiado pronto
Jim Gaudets last blog post..U.S. Economy: New-Home Sales Rose in September [Digg]
Damn, got beat by B Wilde…
Hablé demasiado pronto
Jim Gaudets last blog post..U.S. Economy: New-Home Sales Rose in September [Digg]
Sounds like he had a big influence on you.
Bamboo Forests last blog post..Make This Halloween a Ghost Dad Halloween
Sounds like he had a big influence on you.
Bamboo Forests last blog post..Make This Halloween a Ghost Dad Halloween
Hi Writer Dad – I agree, grandfathers are awesome. The one that I remember used to sit in his rocking chair and us kids would sit on the floor all around him and listen to his stories. Good memories.
Barbara Swaffords last blog post..NBOTW – Bringing Me To Tears
Hi Writer Dad – I agree, grandfathers are awesome. The one that I remember used to sit in his rocking chair and us kids would sit on the floor all around him and listen to his stories. Good memories.
Barbara Swaffords last blog post..NBOTW – Bringing Me To Tears
Thanks for sharing. Your papi post was one of my favorites from your archives.
Love the “so did breathing” line. Subtly. Funny.
This, and your original post, are great testaments to him.
Blogger Dads last blog post..Our baby story – part four: uh oh, my water broke
Thanks for sharing. Your papi post was one of my favorites from your archives.
Love the “so did breathing” line. Subtly. Funny.
This, and your original post, are great testaments to him.
Blogger Dads last blog post..Our baby story – part four: uh oh, my water broke
Some of my happiest childhood memories are going fishing with just me, Grampa and the dog. Those are moments I’ll never forget.
You’re Papi sounds like a great guy. You’re fortunate to have had him in your life, until well into your adult hood. I wish all grandparents would last that long!
Friars last blog post..Friar-O-Lanters (Part IV)
Some of my happiest childhood memories are going fishing with just me, Grampa and the dog. Those are moments I’ll never forget.
You’re Papi sounds like a great guy. You’re fortunate to have had him in your life, until well into your adult hood. I wish all grandparents would last that long!
Friars last blog post..Friar-O-Lanters (Part IV)
beautiful words about your papi, then and now. amazing how old he was! i giggled at the visual of online shopping with him. when my grandfather was about 80, he moved to a place with a common room with computers and got his own email address. his 2 line emails to me were always packed with humor and wisdom. i have them memorized and think of them often. thanks for sharing your memories that brought back mine.
Emilys last blog post..Sunday Link Love
beautiful words about your papi, then and now. amazing how old he was! i giggled at the visual of online shopping with him. when my grandfather was about 80, he moved to a place with a common room with computers and got his own email address. his 2 line emails to me were always packed with humor and wisdom. i have them memorized and think of them often. thanks for sharing your memories that brought back mine.
Emilys last blog post..Sunday Link Love
“I love you, I’ll miss you, and I promise to always make you proud.”
You’ve done this in spades, Sean. :-) Eric.
Eric Hamms last blog post..When The Right Direction Starts To Look All Wrong
“I love you, I’ll miss you, and I promise to always make you proud.”
You’ve done this in spades, Sean. :-) Eric.
Eric Hamms last blog post..When The Right Direction Starts To Look All Wrong
“stores existed behind the screen”
That explains so much–I can picture the two of you sitting there and the expression that must have been on his face. Well done.
Denguys last blog post..Lucky Thirteen
“stores existed behind the screen”
That explains so much–I can picture the two of you sitting there and the expression that must have been on his face. Well done.
Denguys last blog post..Lucky Thirteen
This was a post worth writing. Your children will be glad you perpetuated the legacy.
This was a post worth writing. Your children will be glad you perpetuated the legacy.
B. Wilde: 101! That’s amazing. My grandma made it to 96. They were married for 74 years, so these last couple of years, Papí really just wanted to close his eyes, and not open them again. He missed her terribly. The things they taught me though, I will have forever.
Jim: B.’s gun was just a little Wilder than yours (I know. I kill me). Thanks for liking the Tuesdays. I know not everyone’s a fan.
Bamboo: Indeed hid did.
Barbara: A century on the planet made his stories infinitely richer than any others.
Friar: I was really lucky to have him as long as I did. I visited him every Saturday for the last three years of his life. Until the very end, I usually took Max with me. I wanted him to have at least a vague memory. There isn’t a substitution for that kind of wisdom.
Emily: I would’ve loved for Papí to have had email. We probably missed the opportunity by a couple of years, but I know he would have emailed me each and every day.
Eric: Thanks, Eric.
Denguy: It was amazing to watch the wonder on his face. Trying to understand the internet without a frame of reference, after living near a century… can you even imagine?
B. Wilde: 101! That’s amazing. My grandma made it to 96. They were married for 74 years, so these last couple of years, Papí really just wanted to close his eyes, and not open them again. He missed her terribly. The things they taught me though, I will have forever.
Jim: B.’s gun was just a little Wilder than yours (I know. I kill me). Thanks for liking the Tuesdays. I know not everyone’s a fan.
Bamboo: Indeed hid did.
Barbara: A century on the planet made his stories infinitely richer than any others.
Friar: I was really lucky to have him as long as I did. I visited him every Saturday for the last three years of his life. Until the very end, I usually took Max with me. I wanted him to have at least a vague memory. There isn’t a substitution for that kind of wisdom.
Emily: I would’ve loved for Papí to have had email. We probably missed the opportunity by a couple of years, but I know he would have emailed me each and every day.
Eric: Thanks, Eric.
Denguy: It was amazing to watch the wonder on his face. Trying to understand the internet without a frame of reference, after living near a century… can you even imagine?
Hey Writer Dad -
I hate goodbyes to the great people in our lives and I’m glad that he’s forever in your heart.
When I think about my grandfather, I think about a class of character that seemed to belong to a particular generation. He had an amazingly thoughtful personality and he could talk about the tough stuff with tact. I asked my Mom recently if it was just me or did everybody like grandpa, and everybody did.
J.D. Meiers last blog post..One Pitch at a Time
Hey Writer Dad -
I hate goodbyes to the great people in our lives and I’m glad that he’s forever in your heart.
When I think about my grandfather, I think about a class of character that seemed to belong to a particular generation. He had an amazingly thoughtful personality and he could talk about the tough stuff with tact. I asked my Mom recently if it was just me or did everybody like grandpa, and everybody did.
J.D. Meiers last blog post..One Pitch at a Time
My grandfather (I called him Papa) died in nineteen-ninety-something, and I miss him still.
I see him in my son, who has a temper, wit, grey-blue, ever changing eyes and the jug-handle ears.
I wish Papa could have known my son – I think they would have delighted each other.
A grandfather has such opportunity to teach, to connect generations, to subvert…something a parent cannot do because we are too busy raising our kids to have the luxury of enjoying them in quite the same way.
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
Kyddryns last blog post..A Kind Word
My grandfather (I called him Papa) died in nineteen-ninety-something, and I miss him still.
I see him in my son, who has a temper, wit, grey-blue, ever changing eyes and the jug-handle ears.
I wish Papa could have known my son – I think they would have delighted each other.
A grandfather has such opportunity to teach, to connect generations, to subvert…something a parent cannot do because we are too busy raising our kids to have the luxury of enjoying them in quite the same way.
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
Kyddryns last blog post..A Kind Word
WD,
I was lucky in my lifetime to have spent lots of time with one set of great-grandparents, and to have met a great-great grandmother twice before she passed.
My great grandfather was a fantastic man, and boy did he love hard candy. There were always a few jars around the house. That candy always brings me right back to the times we spent together.
The Internet is an amazing creation. I am thankful that my grandmother uses it so well, but am disappointed that I never got to share the “magic” of it with my grandfather.
Though we may take it for granted, the Internet, hell computers are truly a huge invention for this generation. Be well.
Ians last blog post..Microsoft Releases its Cloud OS
WD,
I was lucky in my lifetime to have spent lots of time with one set of great-grandparents, and to have met a great-great grandmother twice before she passed.
My great grandfather was a fantastic man, and boy did he love hard candy. There were always a few jars around the house. That candy always brings me right back to the times we spent together.
The Internet is an amazing creation. I am thankful that my grandmother uses it so well, but am disappointed that I never got to share the “magic” of it with my grandfather.
Though we may take it for granted, the Internet, hell computers are truly a huge invention for this generation. Be well.
Ians last blog post..Microsoft Releases its Cloud OS
Ay, que lindo! Thanks for sharing Papi with us. I’m sure he’s grinning proudly at you.
Lucis last blog post..The Vacuum, Dr. Seuss, and Oprah
Ay, que lindo! Thanks for sharing Papi with us. I’m sure he’s grinning proudly at you.
Lucis last blog post..The Vacuum, Dr. Seuss, and Oprah
J.D.: Everybody loved my grandpa. On his ninetieth birthday, the mayor of Los Angeles threw him a birthday party on Olvera Street, where he’d had a little shop for forty years.
Kyddryn: I know what you mean. I see a lot of Papi in my boy as well. They’re both total rascals (just like the one in the middle).
Ian: Wow. That’s impressive. Your the first person I’ve met, lucky enough to go back that far. Papi never lost his faculties. He was lucid until the very end. To still have a sharp mind after a hundred years; I can’t think of many things more inspiring.
Luci: Si. Con mucho gusto.
J.D.: Everybody loved my grandpa. On his ninetieth birthday, the mayor of Los Angeles threw him a birthday party on Olvera Street, where he’d had a little shop for forty years.
Kyddryn: I know what you mean. I see a lot of Papi in my boy as well. They’re both total rascals (just like the one in the middle).
Ian: Wow. That’s impressive. Your the first person I’ve met, lucky enough to go back that far. Papi never lost his faculties. He was lucid until the very end. To still have a sharp mind after a hundred years; I can’t think of many things more inspiring.
Luci: Si. Con mucho gusto.