I received a letter from my grandfather (I call him Papa) in the mail today. He turned 80 in May, and it made me realize that our time together may not… I can’t even say it. It’s devastating to think about. My grandfather is gruff, cantankerous, ornery, and just the sweetest old man in the world. If you’ve ever known someone like that, you can picture him, I’m sure. Babies and animals can see right through the near-permanent frown.

Anyway, I wanted to have some of his memories. I asked him to write down his stories. He filled up nearly two 50-page tablets (those writing tablets have always been his preferred stationary). He told me a lot about his schooldays and his stint in the Navy in WWII. Sometimes his reflections were funny. Sometimes sad. I plan to post some of his letter to me at my genealogy blog. Just to give you taste (and so you can see what a gifted writer he is), I’m putting a teaser here.

So you want me to write about things that I have done, seen or heard in my many years of experiences. I hope you know that historians claim that people as old as I usually forget things, embellish the things that they remember. I also will tell some things that happened during my lifetime. Please, please put the red correction pencil away [why must my family perpetually accuse me of grading their correspondence???]. I know that I break every grammatical rule ever made. I plan to relate tales, stories or whatever that I know happened, but historians tell about the events in a vastly different manner… So if you’re ready, here goes the B.S.

Before it gets to late, ask for their stories. Whoever “they” are for you. I received a priceless gift in the mail — my grandfather even insured it! He knows what this will mean to me and to my family in the future.