A Day To Remember

At the tail end of the Great Depression, on July 7, 1932, Gordon Willis Gray entered into this world. He was a  shy boy who grew up in the state of Washington and upon entering into adulthood joined the Air Force to escape a bad family situation. He never graduated from high school, a fact that embarrasses him to this day, but only proves to me that sometimes the best schooling is life because he is one of the smartest people I know. For a man who likes to keep both of his feet grounded in one place, he has traveled all over this country and to Asia (where he was stationed during the Korean War). 

In 1955, Gordon married a sassy lady named Janet who would be a force to reckon with all of the rest of the days of his life.  The yin to her yang, Gordon and Janet were polar opposites; She was outgoing, temperamental, impulsive, energetic, lively; He was steady, quiet, introspective, calm. Somehow, they made it work, and are making it work still as they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this past April. 

 In the usual style, Gordon became a father three times over. His only son was born in 1956. Two daughters followed in 1958 and 1959. I hear stories here and there of what Gordon was like as a father, but I don't know him in that capacity, so I can only listen to the tales being shared. I do not think that there is a greater stress than being a parent, so I know that even though he yelled and maybe slammed his fist down on a table or two, he was still the man then that I fell in love with growing up. 

I would like to think that I got the best of Gordon. I came into his life as most of us do, as a baby. I have seen pictures of us together from that time period, and I know that he loved me immensely from the moment he first laid eyes on me. Because Gordon wasn't my parent, and perhaps because I met him later in life and he had mellowed, the man I got to have a relationship with was the most patient human being on this planet. He was always willing to give me his free time. My love of nature came from him as we spent hours and hours over the course of my childhood exploring the acres around his home. He was like a walking encyclopedia. I remember going through every word of Billy Joel's song, We Didn't Start the Fire, (Billy Joel was my favorite singer growing up) and he explained what every event and/or person was in the song. 

I have had a lot of people influence my life. Some for the better and some for the worse, but Gordon has been the single most positive influence in my entire life. Hands down. He is the standard by which I set all human beings by. He is the standard that I wish my sons to become like. He is the kind of man that I wish my daughters to marry. 

I know for certain that so few people get to have someone like Gordon in their lives. It makes me sad for them because I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't have Gordon's love and support. Because he is a man of few words, I don't know if he has ever told me he was proud of me, but I didn't/don't need those words from him because his actions have showed me that he is so. He the only person in my life whom I don't words of affirmation from because what we share is so deep that words aren't necessary. I just know.  What he has not been afraid to tell me is that he loves me. My whole life, I have been told over and over that I am loved by him. Telling me he loved me was important to him and every chance he got he always let me know. He didn't want me to ever forget his love, but how could I?  Even if he never shared those words with me, I would still know I was loved by him - I can see it in his eyes. 

When I was little, I used to leave notes under his pillow when I would leave his house after a day or night of visiting. I would confess to him that he was my most favorite person in this whole world. I would tell him how much I loved him and how much he meant to me. He never once confirmed that he received those notes. He never once verbalized that I was his favorite right back. That wasn't his style. The funny thing is, I think for the majority of our family, Gordon was/is the favorite. I think we all thought we were his favorites right back. He was just so good at treating us so well and making us feel so special. 

As I have gotten older, I no longer desire to be the favorite because I know that what I have with this man is an unbreakable bond that only we share. It is a bond that is unique and different from all of the other bonds that he has with my aunts, uncles, siblings, and cousins because it is ours and ours alone. I truly know that our ties are unbreakable. 

Gordon is always with me. I carry him in my heart right next to the place I carry my children. In this life and in the ones yet to come, he will never leave me. I have left a piece of him in my children and they will hopefully pass him on to their children. 

July 7, 1932 is a day to remember. 

It is a day that one of the most cherished people in my life was born. It was a day in which my future fate became sealed. A day in which I would be given a gift of unconditional love in its most purest form 47 years later. That unconditional love would inspire me and carry me through some of the darkest parts of my life. 

July 7. 1932 was the day Gordon Willis Gray was born. 

To me though, he is Grandpa. 

He is the love of my life, and outside of my children, is the person I am most thankful for in this whole world. 

I love you, Grandpa. I know that I am in you and you are in me. No matter how far apart we are in physical miles, I know that in spirit we are side by side. Thank you for loving me and sharing your life with me. 

 Happy 88th birthday.