The Legacy of Frank

He stands at the grill, spatula in hand, his few hamburgers are surrounded by veggie burgers while he is surrounded by other cooks tending to them. He wonders when he became obsolete, when his large family became too busy to attend a holiday gathering, when the meat and potatoes he worked so hard to feed his wife and children for so many years became poison, replaced by rabbit food patties. This was his post for decades. He stood at the grill, and fired up hot dog after buger after hot dog. He handed them out to adults and children alike following the question, "How do you like it cooked?" The kids would shovel in their food as quickly as possible so as to make it back to the pool in time to not miss any of the action. He was surrounded by family then. His six children, and their children (his 12 grandchildren), all cajoling, laughing, and back slapping. Today he looks around. Only three of his children are in attendance; one son with his third wife, his only daughters are the other two that came, both divorced, one still single (who will always be) and the other with her beau. Two grandchildren are present, one who has her own son, his great-grandson, a child with a beautiful smile and an infectious laugh.

He loves having them there. He has worked hard his entire life to be surrounded by family. His devotion to his family is part of his heritage. His father was an immigrant from Italy, this type of get-together is his legacy. He is saddened that the importance of family gatherings is lost on the next two generations. The swimming pool that used to be in the back corner of the yard has been filled in. He has become too old to keep up with maintaining it, and these gatherings have become so few and far between that it was never used anyway. The spans of this large backyard seems almost a waste, as nobody comes around to celebrate in it anymore.

He finds himself getting weepy as they leave. He is saddened when these gatherings draw to a close, as the next one will certainly be far into the future. Until then the house will be full of silence and echoes of times past when the bedrooms were full, and the comings and goings numerous.

As they leave he thinks, "God bless their souls". He has lived a good life. He has wonderful children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren (there are 4 now!). He has lived to see his family grow and thrive. He is proud of what he and his wife have accomplished, the legacy they have left. He pours himself another drink and begins cleaning the yard, already looking forward to the next time he will see them all.

**My grandfather is an amazing man. He is full of love. He can't sit still for very long (even though he is in his eighties), as his entire life has been an active one (he worked three jobs to support his wife and children). He is the hardest worker you will ever meet, and more devoted to those he loves that anyone I have every known. He is a veteran (United Stated Marine Corps). His Memorial Day backyard get together was very sparse this year. I was saddened by the small turnout. I am one of the rabbit food patty eaters. I seriously considered eating a burger just to make him feel better. Amusingly enough, The Good Guy confided in me later that he too had considered eating a burger so that my grandfather would feel more essential. We did have a good time, as did all of those who came.