Memories

Jill, Abby, Alexis and I did the Cap 10k Sunday.  Jill ran the whole thing and the girls and I walked it.  No golfcarts, no entourage, just the three of us on the course (Jill left us right around, well, the starting line).

No people telling us "you're an inspiration."  No helping a nicely dressed old man trying to cross the road to get to church.  No pictures with the nice lady who took pictures of us every year for decades.  No announcements at the start, or special round of applause at the end.  No flirting with random women, or yelling innappropriate things at passersby.  No GGPa.

In the last few years, even when he didn't participate, we would still go to his house after the race to celebrate and relax.  Now his house is empty and is going on the market.  Life goes on.  The race goes on.  We miss you Grandpa.

I had already kinda sorta gotten used to not having Nana at the end of the race, crying when he finished each year.  Life goes on.  We miss you Nana.

The house is empty, save for a few pieces of furniture to be picked up, several boxes of Nana's books, and an outside closet full of memories to be sorted through.  No more Passover seders, birthday gatherings, family dinners.  No more pictures on the balcony of the family as currently configured.  No more GGPa alternatively delighting and shocking people with what came out of his mouth.

I spent several hours going through old pictures and mementos in the house.  I blasted CNN at volune 93 in GGPa's honor.  The house is now quiet.  The butter-eating dog has moved to San Antonio.  The 27 year-old daquiri mix from the freezer has been thrown away.  The stuff marking two remarkable lives has been dispersed to family and sold to strangers.  Life goes on.