My PA

I just crawled into bed to write about some news I just heard tonight from my mother. 

My grandfather is in the hospital. The words "grandfather" and "hospital" tend to go hand in hand. However, I know him as PA just 'P' and 'A' and you get PA. Apparently he had fallen without realizing it and found himself in the mirror staring at the blood trickling down his forehead. My mother said he took a big spill while outside cutting the shrubs. Luckily something more serious did not occur. PA called for help on his cell phone and was rushed to the hospital. Cat scans and tests were done to see what might have happened. Could be strokes we suspect, he's had those before. You see PA will be 90 years old February 3rd. His real name is Charles Hugh Smith. Roomer has it, back in his younger years everyone called him "Hooty" (not sure why exactly.) 

He was born in 1919, same year as Merce Cunningham and Nat King Cole were born. That same year the Boston Molasses Disaster occurred (just thought that was interesting, look it up!) Also, the United States Congress approved the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would guarantee suffrage to women! It is amazing all the decades he has lived through and the man STILL thinks he's in his 20's or 30's. He is young at the age of 89. Still he plays golf, cuts the grass, trims the bushes, drives the car, runs the errands, goes shopping, cooks, and finds the humor in life. He survived the Great Depression, WWII, the 60's and 70's, the death of his son, then his wife, and everything in between. PA is truly a wonderful man.

It is very difficult to see PA struggle. I am sure it is strange to see one's body begin to decay and no longer work as it used to. One day you wake up and your legs are not as strong. The heart and lungs you wore out in your younger years no longer kick into auto pilot. Everyday tasks become a marathon, and suddenly your children are watching out for you as you did for them. The roles reverse and you are now asking them for help. PA refuses help sometimes and tells my mom, "I am not a child."

Life has been good to him. He has stayed strong and somehow managed to stay jovial. PA is sure of himself, what he believe, and who he loves. What more can you ask for? PA is truly loved.