The medal draped over his hospital gown. Glancing at him and then looking at her, I asked, “Nanny, how long has Pop-pop had his Miraculous medal?” Without missing a beat she affirmed, “it’s been 74 years.” 74 years? As I was calculating that the length of time he wore his medal was currently 2.5 times longer than I have been alive, she continued: “I gave it to him when he was 17 and about to go with the Navy. We dated for 6 years and have been married for 68.”
Though I didn’t acquire my grandfather’s acumen for banking, in his honor, I decided to crunch some numbers, which weren’t found on the receipt slip his calculator would generate. Rather, these numbers are that of a life well lived. Married for 68 years, there were 5 children, 2 daughter-in-laws, 3 son-in-laws, 9 grandchildren, 1 great grand child, and 1 beautiful wife who were interwoven into this story. Because two people fell in love and continued to choose to love, we were blessed to call this man dad and Pop-pop.
As Nanny told me about when she sent him off to the Navy to serve as a Chief Petty Officer for 7 years she explains, “he was 7 years in the Navy and he was 7 years seasick.” He would have stayed in longer but he was a Quartermaster he had to be on the ship, and there weren’t any jobs that would station him to Tinton Avenue. After 7 years of proud service, he decided to come home to be with his eventual bride. Though he came off the ship, he didn’t leave all his habits in the Navy.
The closets and the cabinets were always inspection ready as were his slippers and the bed. That is of course until the moment it was time to take the bed down to put in the long folding tables for holiday dinners since the family outgrew the dinning room table many years ago. The dishwasher, when it was loaded with dirty dishes, was cleaner that most people’s dishes when the cycle was done as you couldn’t put a dish in to be cleaned until it had been scrubbed. They weren't wrote acts of a midshipman; they were acts done with gratitude for the opportunity to serve.
As Nanny sent him to war with Our Lady, we send him home commending Pop-pop to her eternal, maternal care. Pop-pop, may you be greeted at the gates joyfully by St. Peter and may St. Therese shower roses before you as you walk home. May you know eternal peace and joy as the Father, who greets you, proclaims: “well done, my good and faithful servant.” And may the souls of the faithful departed, especial our fallen soldiers, through the mercy of God rest in peace.
With eternal gratitude,
Kathryn Grace Rose
The sun is shining down/ Glory, glory, Alleluia. I’m alive. https://www.youtube.
Because most things are said better with bagpipes.
Day is done, gone the sun, From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky All is well, safely rest God is nigh
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3
No comments:
Post a Comment