Grandpa Gordon

Describing the man that I admire most in this world cannot truly provide a clear picture about how wonderful this man is; but I aim to try.

I wish that everyone had a chance to know my Grandpa, Grandpa Gordon. He currently is under the care of Hospice at the ripe old age of 91. He has experienced yet another heart attack that now marks the end of his era. This heart attack was just one of about ten that have struck him during his life, but he had always pulled through. That is one reason why I admire him. His persistence with life. He also has had open heart surgery and our whole family believed that he was pulling his last straw and his will power and zest for life left us speechless when he went home from the hospital with a miraculous recovery.

I think that most people experiencing such an immense amount of bodily stress would become pessimisstic about life, maybe even want to give up. Not this man. With every heart attack it seemed as though his sense of humor was becoming increasingly more refined. He has a plethora of jokes about hosptial food and nurses and patient gowns. He would actually leave the hosptial smiling.

My grandpa loved life and appreciated everything he got from it. He raised 4 children, three boys and one girl, with his wife Barbara who he was married to for 65 years. Some couples don't even last 65 weeks. He loved his wife and liked to call her "mom". He still carries a picture of her in his wallet from when they got engaged. Our family didn't learn this until just last year when it slipped out over our Thanksgiving meal, but my grandma had been engaged to another man when she met my grandpa. Turns out, he swept her off her feet when he sent her an Easter telegram from Michigan (a telegram!) that wished her a nice Easter holiday. She later broke up with the other man and then ended up marrying my grandpa!

His children had children and he relished being a grandfather to five grandkids. He bought me my very first bike. It was light pink with a rainbow banana seat and streamers that hung from that handle bars. I had found it in his closet before Christmas and he told me that it was for a little girl who lived down the street from him. He always remembers every family members' birthday and sends generous gifts. We almost share the same birthday. I'm August 8th and he is August 7th. Maybe that was the trick to remembering my birthday.

He's an incredibly independent man. He still lives in his own home and drove up until now. He loved to play golf and spent most of his retirement on the golf course making hole in ones. I believe he has had 4. He's also astonishingly educated. Most people don't grow with the times. I think that's how the saying came about: "These kids today...." Most people stick to what they know and remain content with that. With Gordon you could discuss politics from fifty years ago or share opinions about Obama.

I always thought that he was the most handsome "old" man that I've ever known. I don't think I ever told him that, but he does have a killer smile!

My grandpa has lived throughout this past century experiencing things and changes in the world that new generations will never have the chance to experience. Most of us cannot imagine our lives before the cell phone. Imagine life before the automobile! He witnessed WWII (which he fought in), man landing on the moon, the beginning of the internet, computers, the evolution of music, civil rights movement, Vietnam, and so many other uncountable things! The drastic changes that took place in this last century marked so many milestones for mankind and I feel fortunate for him that he lived during those times to see these things happen.

Now in the care of Hospice, he confronts the possibility of death everyday and with courage and optimissim. I called him recently to shout across the phone (he can't hear very well) and tell him how much I love him.....You can hear the weakness in his voice, but what was so impressive to me was the optimissm in his words. I believe that his positive outlook and attitude on life has carried him as far as he's come. I have so much to learn from him and the way that he lived his life. His humble nature, honesty, and enthusiasm for life and living ensured his good kharma.

I love my grandpa and I'm sad to see that this year will most likely be his last, but I'm so happy for him that he was able to live the life that he did. He's ready to be reunited with my grandma and although I'm not religious, I know that God will grant him that wish.

Necessary skills needed for surviving German grocery stores

There used to be this ridiculous game show on TV where the contestents had to run through the grocery store with only a certain amount of time and find everything that was on some list. They would race through the aisles and people would scream at them and try to cheer them on. I have no idea what the point of the show was, but this is what I think of when I go grocery shopping here in Deutschland.......
There are absolutely no Costco type stores here in the Big G. There is no possible way for anyone to "stock-up", just as we do in den USA. You cannot find things in the Family Size, Value Package, or buy things in bulk. It's not done that way here. Also, grocery stores are closed on Sundays and close early in the evenings; esspecially on Saturday.
Remember when people were freaking out about Y2K? Everyone was building their own bomb shelters and piling up canned foods........This is the feeling I have when I go shopping at the local Aldi.
It's utter chaos. People are fighting over bread. People are racing shopping carts. Everyone's panicing. Naturally, if you're surrounded by dozens upon dozens of crazy people, you begin to go crazy yourself. I have learned how to cope with this and how to survive the Aldi experience.
Rule number one: You must be fast.
Not just quick.......But really very fast.......Mostly at the register. This is how it goes down here......You quickly throw your food onto the conveyer belt and promptly grab the divider to barracade your items. If you don't other Germans will hate you. Yes. Hate you.
Immediately after your things are out and ready to be scanned you must already being pulling out your wallet while simutaneously preparing yourself to catch the food when it is thrown off of the conveyer belt by the cashier.
And truly, your food is thrown. This is no exaggeration. It reminds me of tennis practice when I was a kid. There was that machine that shot the balls out at you and I would hit them from the otherside of the court.....Instead, it's food.
You don't get paper or plastic bags here unless you buy them. So everyone brings their own bags (you also bag your own food). The bag is like the tennis racket. It's what you use to catch the food.
Meanwhile, your ears are filtering out the "beep, beep, beep" from the scanner and readying yourself to hear the grand total of your purchase. For me, I have to listen extra carfeully because I still need to think about what I hear auf Deutsch. I'm still translating in my mind. And there is a little something special about saying a number in German. We say "twenty-three", the two and THEN the three....Not here! They say "three and twenty". It's not that the concept is any way difficult to understand, but for a non-native speaker it's just the same as saying the alphabet backwards. You have to think about it.
So my total is: six and thirty, one and ninety. 36.91
There also is an element of math here and if anyone knows me well.............
Ok, so we are holding out our money, catching food, moving out of the way so that the next person can que themselves at the cash register, accepting change and then literally evacuating the area. Once you have received your change, there is no reason whatsoever to see your face anymore. You no longer have any reason to be standing anywhere near the register. You must leave. Talk about customer service.
I have my food now balanced on every part of my body and I carry it to the "food arranging area" where people organize what they just bought and caught. The shopping trip has come to an end.
Being fast is really the only rule to surviving an Aldi shopping trip on your average Saturday afternoon. I typically try to fit in my shopping during the week to avoid getting pushed by old ladies and shouted at by frustrated mothers in the dairy aisle. But shopping during the week does not mean you can be any slower, if anything you have to be quicker! Even if you're the only person in line. Makes no difference.
I have found the Aldi experience to be quit comical. And simply ridiculous.