time

my grandpa turned 94 two weeks ago, and i finally got around to processing some of the photos today. my, how time has flown by. i remember as a child, i lived with my grandparents for a short time. i loved going to the market with gramps and i looked forward to our regular outings to pioneer market. after shopping for groceries, we'd pass the man who sold corn on the cob outside. that was always a special treat. with extra butter please, i would ask. then we would head home in his mint green buick. sometimes my brother would come along, but often, it was just me and grandpa.

today, he often teases me about some of the things i used to do when i was a kid. much of it i dont recall doing, but its as if i have those memories now because of him.

and in thinking about him, i also think about my aging parents. my dad and stepmom mostly. my mom, on the other hand, seems to be turning back the clock (i can only hope she has passed that on to me). they remind me of how l am also getting older, no longer feeling carefree. by no means am i complaining. it simply makes me grateful for how things have turned out, grateful for the family i once tried to escape from, and for the richness of their stories and the culture theyve passed on to me.