Happy birthday! I didn't remember it was your birthday until about 11:30am. When I remembered, I texted my dad right away to make sure I had the date right. I've never written to you on your birthday before. If you were alive, you'd be blowing out 107 candles! I would have baked you any kind of cake you wanted. No offense, but with 107 candles your cake would have probably been on fire. You might have enjoyed that. It's also April Fools Day so I probably would have put trick candles on the cake. The kind that re-light themselves when you try to blow them out. You probably would have been amused.
I miss you lots. You passed away when I was not even 1 year old, so I don't have any real memories of you. But I have pictures, which is the next best thing! Just because I don't really remember you doesn't mean I'm not allowed to miss you, does it? I sure hope not, because I do! Did Grandma make you potatoes in Heaven for your birthday today? Sorry, family joke. :)
Grandpa, I wish you had not been so selfless. I'm sure the doctor would not have minded if you'd called him in the middle of the night. He would have seen you were having a heart attack and gotten you to the hospital right away. I doubt you'd still be here to celebrate your 107th birthday (I guess it's possible...) but you would have lived longer than you did. I know you didn't want to bother the doctor. Maybe you didn't know how serious it was. But Grandpa, you lived through a war. I don't think you would have been the type to not know serious when you saw it. Or, in this case, felt it. I promise you the doctor would not have been mad. My dad got that quality from you, did you know that? He always says, "oh no, I don't need to go to the doctor... I'm fine...." when we all think he needs to go. I always tell him, "you are just like Grandpa." He really is. But I'm sure you already know that.
So, are you fixing any tractors up there? Just kidding. I'm sure fixing tractors would be about the very last thing you'd ever want to do in Heaven. Except maybe looking after chickens or making shoelaces! Lol! (That means I'm laughing. I know you probably don't text up in Heaven either!)
My dad told me you used to call me blischedekeh agen, and that it means "shining eyes." I wish you were still here to call me that now. I don't know if they still shine or not, but they are still blue! My dad looks just like you. Isn't that great? Your immigration picture could very well be a picture of him at that age! It's really striking. And cousin J looks like him, and like you, too. Cool, right? There's a strong genetic line running down that side of the family. Know what's funny, though? People sometimes say I look like my dad. Which is impossible since I'm adopted. And I really don't look like him! But I guess we do have mannerisms in common. He says I'm definitely his daughter, for better and for worse!
Grandpa! Did you know I have a parrot named Shmuel?? Uncle Shmuel would be so surprised! My dad says he thinks Uncle Shmuel would be laughing. My parrot Shmuel is a girl, though. Isn't that hilarious? It's hard to tell the gender of a parrot that isn't sexually dimorphic. And she's never laid any eggs so I had no idea! So funny. Speaking of birds, I think my dad is dismayed to find that I like chickens! Corky's mom had 3 chickens in her backyard. I was there when she picked them out and I got to pick one. It's a Rhode Island Red and I named her Ramona. She's the only one of the original 3 that are still there. One, a black one named Snooki, got killed by a dog or something. The white one, Betty White, got killed by a hawk like a month ago. Now there are 2 new ones with Ramona. I can't remember their names. I've never met them yet.
I baked cookies with Corky today. They are really good. Maybe I will stick a candle in one and sing you "Happy Birthday." I could blow out the candle for you. Would you like me to make a wish for you too? I will wish whatever you'd like. I can wait until tomorrow so that you can tell me in a dream what you want me to wish for. Just promise you'll tell me, okay? I have not seen you in a dream in a really long time and I miss you a lot. Don't stay away too long, please!
Please tell Grandma that I love and miss her. If you see Luckie flying by, ask her to come by and tell Lyrik to quit hogging the food dish. Lol!!! (Now I'm really laughing!)
I love and miss you Grandpa. I wish you were here but I know that you can't be. That's okay. I will keep on trying to live in a way that I know would make you happy and proud.
Love,
Blischedekeh Agen xoxox Alav Ha Shalom.
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