Remembrance and soldier boys...

Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. It's particularly close to my heart, because my grandpa was a Pearl Harbor survivor, so this day makes me think about him and my grandma a lot. On this day in 1941, sixty-eight years ago, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and my grandpa was there on his ship, the U.S.S. St. Louis. He began to develop Alzheimer's disease when I was only three or four years old, so most of my memories of him are very fuzzy. Sometimes I feel guilty and almost "cheated," in a way, because all of my cousins are about 7-12 years older than me and my brother, and they all knew Grandpa, but I never really got to. That's one of the things I look forward to most in heaven. But through stories, pictures, video, and postcards and things he and Granny wrote, I feel like I know him a little. I can't talk about Grandpa without mentioning Granny. She took care of him faithfully for over ten years, caring for him at their home until the day he died. I remember years ago, being with him when it was December 7th, that anniversary. His Navy service was so important to him, that even when he was forgetting so many other things, that always stayed with him. I remember him sitting in his wheelchair and when asked how long he was in the Navy, he would tell you how many years, months, and days he served. He always remembered this anniversary.

My grandparents had the best love story I could imagine. I love how, in all of their pictures, he's always holding her so close, like he never wants to let go.

After Granny died, I got to keep dozens of little black and white photos of them from the 40's. Most of them are pictures of my grandpa and his Navy buddies in Hawaii. He's in the center.

On the left. Isn't he handsome? Apparently, Grandpa was quite a prankster (he passed it on to my uncle and brother). He wasn't allergic to poison oak, so he once planted it around a property post that he suspected might be tampered with, to be sure that it stayed put. Another time, he went into a local store to buy a gallon of lemon ice cream. He jokingly asked the owner if it was the price of a quart. The owner said, "It is if you can eat it all with a wooden spoon." So my grandpa sat down and ate that whole container of ice cream with a wooden spoon. =)


Probably my favorite- on their wedding day. It's not really fuzzy like it appears. He had on his handsome uniform and hat, and she had on a smart dress, a huge bag, gloves, a little hat with a net, and a huge corsage of roses pinned to her.

I really miss my grandparents. Because of Grandpa's service in the Navy and at Pearl Harbor, I have always felt a certain pull towards those who have served in the military. My favorite Christmas song is "I'll Be Home for Christmas," which ironically just began playing on my computer right now. I know Grandpa missed some Christmases, and it makes me so sad to imagine all of the soldiers who miss spending the holidays with their families. The other day, the Josh Groban version came on the radio and I almost cried. I mean, my traditions mean so much to me that I would be devastated if I could not be home to carry them out with my family. In honor of my grandpa, I've been making a special effort this month to pray for those soldiers who won't be home for Christmas.

Will you guys help me in praying especially for our soldiers this Christmas season?

Until next time,
Kristin (missvintagegirl)