Blog #2

When I think of a story that someone has told me the first thing that comes to mind are the ones about my grandpa. These stories are particularly important to me because the stories about him are the only thing that I have to paint a picture of a man I’ve never met.

To some a story about their grandpa would not be that interesting or entertaining but for me, it means something.

My grandpa McCrory died when my dad was in his early 20's. He not only lost his father but a role model that he would often turn to for advice. His mother also passed away when he was 12 due to cancer. It’s still hard for my dad to talk about them.

You can tell that even the thought of them makes him sad, but the little stories he tells mean more than the big ones to me. It shows me how we are similar in the weird quirky habits that we have.

In the winter my favorite thing to do is to curl up in as many blankets as I can find and place a heater at the foot of my bed.

This past January my dad saw me doing that and said “I remember when I was little my dad would call me into his bedroom and we would lay down together with the heater at the foot of the bed as he told me stories.” This story may seem small and irrelevant to most but for me it means a big part of this world to hear it.  

It makes me feel a connection to someone that I'll never know and it pains me a little that I'll never get the chance to meet this man who raised my father to be the man that he is today.

I love hearing stories of loved ones past because it is our heritage, but it is also a sense of belonging. A sense of normal news. Like why you put peanut butter on your pancakes instead of syrup. These stories help put an explanation behind your weird habits and quirks.