Grammy and I walked in the door and were instantly greeted by you.

In addition to your wonderful smile, hello and hug you had paper bags – lunch type bags – for each of us.  You said “I made these for you.”

I looked in and found a book about Pirates and a blue scarf.  “I made that scarf,” you said, which blew me away.  How on earth did you do that?  “We did that at school and I got some help from the teacher.”  It was the nicest scarf I had ever seen… I put it around my shoulders.  The book was one of your books – it was one I was familiar with – so I asked why you were giving it to me.  “Because I know you like pirates!” you said in a surprising voice.

Grammy peeped inside her bag and found a book about Cinderella, a pink scarf and a sandwich bag with a tiny pair of earrings.  Same deal with her book… you gave it to her because Cinderella has always been Grammy’s favorite princess.  The earrings were yours… earlier this year you got your ears pierced but didn’t stick with the program and the holes closed up.  So you wanted Grammy to wear them.

When I talk about your kindness and generosity… this is exactly what I mean.

First, you surprised us out-of-the-blue on an ordinary night (we were at  your house to be with you while your Mom & Dad went out to eat).  Second, you had taken the time to think about what each of us liked…. and assembled special presents that would have personal meaning. Unbelievable thoughtfulness!

Later on that night we did some ‘craftses’… you drew a replica of an Elf placemat on your dining room table and called him “Chippy.”   I couldn’t believe the accuracy and skill from a six year old. Honestly, your drawing looked better than the placemat!

You’re a talent Emma, and a very special girl. I love you lots.

your incredibly thoughtful and personal gifts for Grammy & I

happy Emma after winning the second game of Clue

When you and Ben were younger, we often played “board games,” but as you can now understand, the versions were always abbreviated and greatly simplified by Papa.

Now that you’re older, we’ve started revisiting the same games, but playing them the right way, or at least much closer to the actual directions.  This is adding a magical component because the old games are taking on a new, more interesting life.

Clue is a good example.

It took awhile explaining the magic of the three Clue cards in the mystery envelope – one character, one room, one ghost (this is a Disney version so the classic “weapon” is replaced with ghost figures).   The winner correctly answers the question, “Which character was haunted by which ghost in what room?”

On the first go-round, Ben won.  I thought you might be upset, but you weren’t, and wanted to play a second time, as did your brother.

I gave  you a little help organizing your cards, keeping your “checklist” updated and figuring out which combination of three had not been selected.  Then we figured out the magical combination and you exclaimed “Pluto in the dining room by the Opera ghost.”

You had won the game.  Ben was happy for you and I was proud.  The magical eye glint that appears when you’re happy made its appearance. I love seeing you that way.

Grammy and I went to  your house today (the day before Thanksgiving)  and you came to see us right away… we were barely through the door and you rushed over to say hello, smile and give us a hug and kiss.

You were so happy to see us and we were so happy to see you!

You always make me feel so special… because you love having Grammy & me in your life.  We’re so lucky to have you in ours.  Today you asked why Thanksgiving isn’t at our house… this got us a little choked up.  It’s the first year your family will be going to Grammy Boyle’s house for Turkey Day.  Our day won’t be the same without you that’s for sure…  Can’t wait for the Dover Christmas Parade Sunday afternoon…

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Help our food is on fire!

When I became a grandfather at the age of 49, I made a promise to myself to be an active, inspirational force in your life, not a boring couch potato Papa.  I wanted to be involved, do interesting, fun things and create lasting memories together.

Exciting news!

To capture these special moments, I’ve decided to start writing blogs for my seven grandkids. This is the first.

My goal is to write at least one per month for each of you and keep it going. 7 blogs a month x 12 months = at least 84 a year.  Knowing me, I’ll probably write more where I love writing and photography so much.

Why write a blog?  Because time passes too quickly and memories fade.

When you’re older you may not remember the words you actually said when you were a kid, what we did together, what you looked like at a certain age or how you reacted in a specific moment.  These details fade away.  The stories I write – and the photos I take and use – will keep these memories alive so you can savor them later on and rekindle precious childhood years.

While these WordPress blogs are being published online (privately, not publicly), my hope is to someday also convert them into books so you have a physical – not just virtual – memory to hold in your hands.  Reminder to Papa, Tim, Nicole and my seven grandkids: to keep these blogs ALIVE ON THEremember to

These blogs are also a gift to myself and Grammy.  By capturing your childhood spirit, personality, attributes, looks, values and interests, they’ll keep our fun memories of you alive with great detail.

They will feed my Papa Soul.

I hope you enjoy this blog in the years ahead as much as I’ll enjoy creating it.  It’ll be a fun ride we take together.

You bring such joy into my life. I’m the luckiest granddude in the world.

Love, always.