Internet, Meet John…the coolest man that ever was or ever will be.

I adore this man. This is Shaun’s grandma’s BOYFRIEND. He’s been in the family longer than I have been alive.

When I was around 13 my wonderful grandpa died. The best memories I have of him where during his final year with us. My mother and I spent nearly hour of everyday with him in his cabin by the lake. We spent hours playing Dominoes and making up stupid names for each other. He was “Ugly” and I was “Double Ugly”.
It had been many years since I had a ‘grandpa’.

The first year I spent with Shaun’s family at Thanksgiving I was standoffish from John. He sat in the corner looking confused. Shaun explained to me that he can’t see and can hardly hear. He moves at a snails pace. I said my hellos and talked to him for awhile, but I found myself yelling into this poor man’s ears and the rest of the family staring at me like I was a loon.

The following years, I didn’t care what anyone thought of me. I sat on a stool next to him, held his hands and asked him about 400 questions about his life. He told me all about his time in the military and all the places he had seen. His memory is vivid. He remembers every detail and when I asked him the most random question I ask anyone that has ever travel to another country, “What did it smell like?” He had a response. I was nearly bouncing as he told me of the places he had seen and the people he had met.

This year was no different. I made my rounds and planted myself next to John. We didn’t get a chance to have one of our neat conversations, but this year he was much more optimistic about the future. Last year he insisted he was going to die soon. This year, he was telling me about his birthday. He is 92 years old. He said, “I think I’m going to live until I’m 107.”

On the way home Shaun was laughing as he told me about the conversation he had with John.

“I’m 92 years old; I can’t see, I can’t hear, I can barely walk. The next 15 years are going to be rough.”