BEEing A Mom: Papa & Me

"When someone you love becomes a memory,
the memory becomes a treasure."
~Author Unknown~

Last week I found a treasure wedged between the pages of my son's schoolwork: a picture he drew in his kindergarten class a couple of weeks ago. My eyes filled with tears as I studied the artwork. With big smiles on their faces, two stick figures stand side-by-side next to snow-capped mountains. The picture bears a caption in my son's handwriting:

Papa me
In The mountains

Three months ago, my dad--Hayden's grandpa who he calls Papa Jack--lost his fight against cancer and went to be with the Lord. Hayden adored his grandpa. One of the most difficult moments in my life was telling my five-year-old that his grandpa was gone. My heart ached for my little guy's loss. Since his birth, I'd dreamt of him growing up with his Papa Jack, the two of them going fishing together, playing jokes on one another, and of course, my dad sharing his wise advice with my son.

A few days after my dad's passing, I remember saying to my mom, "I don't want him to forget his grandpa. He's only five. Will he remember the time they spent together?"

My mom stared directly into my eyes as she said, "Did you know your grandfather?"

I hesitated for a moment. I'd never met my mom's dad. He passed away when my mom was fifteen.

"You knew him," my mom said, "because you grew up hearing stories about him, didn't you?"

I nodded. Yes, I knew him because my mom passed on his legacy through her memories of him.

"And Hayden," my mom continued, "will know his grandpa, too."

Deep within, I knew my mom was right. And yet in the weeks that followed, I wondered if Hayden would truly remember his time with his Papa Jack.

Last week when I saw the picture Hayden had drawn at school, I knew he hadn't forgotten the many moments he had shared with his Papa Jack. He remembers.

And so I, too, will carry on the tradition my mom began when I was a child. With Hayden in my lap, I'll tell him about the memories I have of my dad. Hayden will know his grandpa.