Remembering Papa

I was sitting outside tonight as a thunderstorm starting rolling through, and it reminded me of how my Papa used to sit outside on his back porch and watch the rain fall. He loved to watch the thunder and lightning. I should have written this post yesterday, the 10th anniversary of his death, but I couldn't do it for some reason.

It's hard to believe Papa has been gone for 10 years. He didn't live to see my or my brother's college graduations or weddings. In my opinion, he died too young. I would give anything to have my grandparents in my life right now. Thankfully, David's grandma on his mom's side is still in great health, but she is the only grandparent we still have with us along with Jean-Paul's parents in Luxembourg who are well into their 90s.

Papa is the one who taught me my multiplication tables, even though he didn't make it past the 8th grade. He served in the military and was told he had to teach trigonometry, so he learned how to do trigonometry. He made the best homemade biscuits in the world along with fried catfish and hamburgers. He invested in the stock market and would be amazed to know the Dow is now more than 10,000. A lifelong Democrat, I'm sure he'd have an opinion about a possible Obama/Hilllary ticket. I can remember him showing me a postcard he received in the mail from Michael Dukakis when he was running for president in the 1980s.

I miss him and my grandma (known as Ghee. When my parents told me, "This is grandma and grandpa," I replied, "No, this is Ghee and Papa.") dearly, but I like to think of them up there in heaven, having breakfast, lunch or an early supper with my dad's parents and my Grandpa Mabra, who I never had the honor of meeting. I hope they are proud of us because I'm certainly proud to be their granddaughter.

Also, I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to Miss Edna Harrell, who is 95 today! She's a member of the family and was one of Ghee's good friends. During our phone conversation today, I asked her the secret to living to be 95 years, and her response was, "a lot of hard work and a strong belief in Jesus." Happy Birthday Miss Edna!