Poppa's Legacy

This is my Poppa, for most of my life he was Daddy or Dad, but when his Poppa died, I began calling him Poppa.  It seemed to fit.  It was if a rite of passage had occurred.  He loved the sound of Poppa and I knew that in some small way I was gifting to him the extra love I had for my Grandfather on to him.

Poppa has many names to many people throughout the years and everyone has special memories that are theirs.  Their stories that make them "the favorite, the chosen, the loved".  From family to friends, to neighborhood kids, business relationships to strangers, he impacted the lives of those he met.

But for his children, his legacy is different for each one of us.  As one of five, I have been watching and reflecting on the past 59 years with this man.  I have seen many people come and go in his life, but DeMomma and his five children remained the most important people in his life above all others.

He has loved his own siblings and his parents, but his family came first.  He chose to move away from his childhood home to make it on his own, to start anew and he did.

These are just one of the things I see in each of my siblings when I think of how they will remind me of Poppa and how he will remain with us forever.

In S'kosh, I see the love for anything old on wheels, the love to tinker with cars, to have grease under his nails and to always be trying to fix something.

In Jaquita, I see a love for the perfect potato soup.  That may not sound like much to you, but to Poppa it was everything because Jaquita always tried to make it just like Poppa's Mother did, just for him and that speaks of nothing but love in a bowl.

In James David, I see a dedicated love for his Mother just like Poppa's love Grandma Fern.  A steady, deep, childhood love that grew with the age of the child growing to manhood.  The only other woman Poppa loved more than his Mother was DeMomma.

In JoDee, I see a love for all things family.  For the days of laughter, hugs, kisses and joy filled rooms.  In family reunions, birthdays, Christmas, Polka music and Channel 5 news.

In all of his children, one of his greatest legacies was the gift of friendship that last a lifetime.  Each of us have childhood friends that are still in our lives.  People that have been here through thick and thin.  We learned the value of friends from him.  We learned the value of loving, caring and nurturing those friendships from him.

Soon Poppa will be leaving this earthly world to join Jesus in Heaven, one of the greatest gifts he will receive will be seeing not just his family when he crosses over, but his lifetime friends who are waiting there for him.

What a day that will be !!! Thank you for the lessons in life and love Poppa !