My grandfather — Pop as we called him — passed away when I was 12. Yesterday was his birthday, he would have been 84.
Dozens of memories come to mind as I reflect; weekends in the Poconos, his spicy Chili, his tomato garden, playing Pinochle, the roaring bonfires, fishing at the lake, visits to the candy shop, etc…but to be quite honest these memories are nothing more than a few distant blips on the radar — once vivid recollections, now collapsed into mere sound bites.
However distant my own memories, I’m fascinated how stories of my Pop are magically coalesced back into existence at family parties.
Together, my family has the ability to will a memory back into existence with such vivacity that I can imagine not only the taste of my Pop’s chili, but what was playing on the radio as he cooked or what he was ranting about as he sat us down to serve his latest concoction.
Separately, I’m stuck with just my own distant blips.
In a weird way I imagine each person holding a unique piece to a larger puzzle, that when together, we have the ability to magically piece back into one vivid, animated story.
For a man that had such an impact on my early life, I want more than my own distant blips.
At Mylestoned we’re piecing together the scattered puzzle pieces, so my family, even when we’re alone, can still reminisce about my Pop as if we were together sharing stories and anecdotes.
While nothing will replace my Pop or the family get-togethers, I believe Mylestoned and the deep meaningful collaboration it enables can bring the memory of my Pop just a little bit closer to my family and I.
