A man full of kindness, courage, and stories: my grandfather. Somewhere within the summers of being pulled in a little, red wagon, diving into the swimming pool, and climbing onto the roof, I grew up. I grew up with my papa always at my right hand. I grew up listening to the stories my papa had to tell as we drove the back roads in the country while listening to 60's music on the radio. I grew up to his jokes at the dinner table, and the blare of the weather channel on his tv in the morning. I grew up looking at the old photographs of his childhood, and trips to the old home he grew up in. I grew up holding the hand of my papa as we walked through the "honeysuckle woods" searching for the sign of a flower that meant summer was here. I grew up knowing I was loved, valued, and listened to. I grew up with one of the greatest grandfathers in the entire world. My papa played such a role in who I am today, and he continues to. Not only have I grown up with my papa by my side, but I continue to grow up with him there. With each visit, we create a new memory together. He has watched me grow up, and in a way, he has shown me who he was a child. He takes me on trips to the creek he swam in as a child, the woods he biked through, and the trees he used to swing from. My papa is a man like no other, and without him, the people who are lucky to have him in their lives would not be the same. To the old memories and the new ones on the way; thank you to the man who has helped make me who I am today.
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