I waited for Andrea to write her post first.

We always called them Little Nanny and Little Grampy. There’s a story that goes with why they had those names but it’s not particularly important here. From the time Andrea & I got married, these folks always treated me like I was another one of their grandchildren. There was never any distinction and that’s just the way it was.

Last year, my birthday card and gift from Little Grampy arrived in the usual few days early. And then we realized that Andrea hadn’t received one (her birthday is a couple weeks before mine). We knew he was declining, but that made it more real. At the same time, that missed birthday card ensured that Andrea & I will always remember that he was my Grampy too. Andrea’s post describes his life long interest in technology, so until the last few years it wasn’t unusual during a visit for Grampy to spend more time with me than he did with Andrea and the kids.

One little story that I’d like to pass on is that at his 90th birthday party, someone asked Grampy what was the best thing about turning 90. He responded without missing a beat, “I don’t have to apologize anymore.” That didn’t mean that he started treating people differently. He knew that people do overlook all sorts of incidental things that elderly people do. And on turning 90, he didn’t have to worry about calling someone by the wrong name and that sort of thing.