Day 16: Someone I Miss

Someone I Miss

As soon as I read the title for the post I knew exactly who I was going to dedicate this post to. If you're my family, you probably also already know so get the tissues out because this post is going to be a bumpy ride.

Sergeant Leonard Jacob Wilson. My G-pa.

He passed away in March of 2018 and I still think about him every day. He was the guy that called everybody family, blood or not, and everyone knew him. People say his name and it's instantly followed with "Oh, he was such a caring man" or "What an amazing guy".

That he was.

When my mom first moved us to Florida when my sister and I were young, we lived with my grandparents and was basically raised by my grandfather as a father figure. In high school, I believe my freshman year, we had a history project that involved us researching our ancestors. I LOVE history so I was super excited. Seeing our Wilson and Leavitt (Gma's maiden name) side of the family tree was so neat.

One of my favorite things to do was sit with Gpa at their kitchen bar in the mornings with our coffee and ask him question after question about his family history. He would tell me stories about when he was in the Air Force and why he picked up smoking. (Because the guys on base who didn't smoke were the ones to pick the butts off the ground).

Makes sense, Gpa.

But, it's all those little memories I miss. His flannel shirts that always had a pack of cigarettes in the pocket. The way he LOVED his grilled cheese sandwiches with velvet cheese...A LOT of cheese. His same cup of coffee that he used just about every day. Speaking of coffee...he gave me my first cup. I was in middle school. I remember just like it happened yesterday.

I was sitting in the rocking chair in their family room by the kitchen one morning and he poured me a cup of coffee. He hands it to me and says, "Here. I think you're old enough to try this."

It was black.

Who hands a middle schooler a cup of black coffee? Of course, then, I didn't like it. Now, I can't go a day without coffee, but with flavored creamer. ;)

And boy, did he have his jokes! I swear every night at the dinner table he would come up with a new one.

"That beats a sharp stick in the eye" and "I could eat the north end of a south bound mule". But, I guess my sister and I had our jokes too. I don't think he went many days without wearing a hat. When we sat down to eat he would take his hat off and he would have his hair all messed up and sticking up from the hat hair. Cue the rooster calls that my sister and I would make. He would get so mad ha!

I only wish he could've been there at my wedding. That's one thing I think about every day. I always wonder what he would've said to me on that day. Something wise or smart ass, I'm sure. And I regret not taking more pictures with him and not being able to spend as much time with him in his last days.

He will always be remembered <3

"Always be great, never good. There's never something too big you can't overcome." -- LJW