"There is no cure for laziness but a large family helps." -Herbert Prochnow
Family. Mom, dad, brothers, sisters. And grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Friends, those brothers and sisters God gives to us through chance encounters and common experience rather than blood.
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Old Christmas picture that I love! Snuggies galore! |
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Poppy W. |
My "poppy" amazing. He's a WWII veteran, he was climbing up on his roof to fix it until he was 80 years old, he still walks on treadmill every day, he used to "paint my face" when I was a little girl, he always jokes that his favorite color is lavender, he is the hands-down best cook in the family (my mom swears that his Polish cooking will be the best in Heaven), he grew up dirt poor in Scranton, PA, he comes from a family of seven children, and he worked his tail off to provide a good home for my grandmother, mother and uncles. He loves beer, he can be gruff at times (but he still tries to pick out nice purses or other sweet gifts for my grandmother's birthday), he's got a great laugh, and our family says that he, my mother and I are triplets (my mother looks like my grandfather and I look like my mother).
He's also a world-class yodeler, at least in my mind, even though nowadays his vocal chords are a little rougher than usual. Here's a sample:
I admire my grandfather so much. He's the only one who could -- and still can -- get away with calling me Katie. I hope and pray that he sticks around for a good many more years. I at least would love for him to meet the man I am going to marry, and I hope that I can marry as good of a man as my grandfather has been.
