Tag: Pops

Friday Photo Flashback – Pops

Tomorrow marks the 31st anniversary of my paternal grandfather’s passing. My maternal grandfather passed away 13 years earlier and taught me that those near and dear to me won’t be here forever. Because of that, I became very close to my paternal grandfather.

I have blogged about him and the special relationship we had in the past. I was devastated when he passed away. I find myself quoting him and thinking of him a lot.

My dad posted a picture of him on social media last week. He said he was thinking about his dad. He had posted a picture of him, my grandma, my great aunt and my great grandma. I went to a folder on my hard drive looking for that picture to post, but instead I stumbled on another photo.

The photo is of my grandpa and my dad when he was younger. They are sitting on a couch together. My dad and I look a lot alike today, but there are photos of him as a kid where he looks like me, too. The picture of him and my grandpa reminded me that there was a similar picture of me and him together. Coincidentally, it is also taken while we sit on a couch.

I found each of these separate, and seeing them side by side for the first time is really neat. There is no doubt that big eyebrows run in the family!

One day I will have to go back and dig deeper into these pictures and talk about the stuff in the background. For now, it is all about “Pops.” I truly miss him.

Friday Photo Flashback

This week marked the 29th anniversary of the passing of my grandfather. In 2018, I wrote a blog about him on his birthday. You can read it here:

Happy Birthday, Pops.

My dad sent a photo to me and my brother this week of my Great Grandma (Grandpa’s mom) that I’d never seen before. That got me to thinking about the last time I saw my Great Grandma. It was at my high school graduation party where today’s photo was taken.

This is a truly amazing photo, as it marked one of the few times all of these family members were together.

In the front row from left to right – me, my Great Grandma, and my brother (sporting the pink Miami Vice jacket). In the back row from left to right – Grandpa P, his sister Marietta, Grandma D, Mom, Dad, Grandma P, and my Great Aunt Rose.

This photo was probably taken close to the end of the part, as my dad and grandpa have their suit jackets off. My grandpa came wearing what we called his Century 21 coat. For those who don’t remember, the real estate agents from century 21 used to always wear these gold colored jackets.

Here is a story about my Great Grandma that still makes me laugh. We used to call her “Light Finger Louie” because she had a very bad habit of swiping things from people and then giving then to my Grandpa. They weren’t necessarily big or expensive things (most of the time), but there were watches, Zippo lighters, cuff links, and such that would miraculously appear in my grandfather’s hands (or pockets) as he was leaving his visits from Great Grandma!

I think the saddest thing about finding old photos like these is the realization that those people are no longer with us physically. The only ones still around in that photo are my brother, my dad, and me.

I get ribbed a lot about all the photos I take of the kids. This week on Facebook, when I posted about my grandpa, I stated that the reason I take so many pictures is “because one day those pictures, and the memories from them, are all we have left.”