The Changelog

For us grandchildren, our earliest memories of Grandpa are of visiting him at his farm. It was always fun to be there. Family gatherings were usually there, and he always made delicious food. Peter, James, and I remember the Zwiebach, borscht, and monster cookies the most. If any of these things were ever missing from a meal, I'd be disappointed, even though the food was still great.

The family usually was at Grandpa's place for Christmas. Grandpa's tree had the wheat-weaving ornaments that Grandma Goerzen made. I don't remember her, but I always admired those ornaments.

After dinner, we'd have our gift exchange. We'd all get our Christmas presents, and then after it was all over, Grandpa would get a sly smile and a little twinkle in his eye. He had "extra" presents for each of us grandkids every year. No matter how nice the other presents were, Grandpa's always seemed extra special.

There were lots of things to do at Grandpa's place. He kept toy tractors and vehicles in a closet off his living room. They were probably 30 years old, but they still worked fine. He also had a large supply of board games. But the most unique thing was his air hockey table. It was always great fun to play a game of air hockey with Grandpa.

We have lots of memories of Grandpa's yard and farm, too. The yard was always good for exploring -- an old implement here or there, or an old vehicle. Or maybe some wasps if you look in the wrong place. I never got stung, but I still remember what places to avoid because of wasps or bees.

I remember the day I was exploring behind some buildings and found an old John Deere tractor. I had heard people talk about this tractor, but I couldn't remember ever seeing it before. It seemed almost like a legend to me, and I was quite excited to actually find it.

Grandpa's creek at the edge of his pasture was good for fishing and camping. The cows didn't seem to mind the visitors, and sometimes came surprisingly close.

Grandpa liked to be a bit of a tease. He'd greet us with "Hi, Skeezix" when we'd arrive at his place, and he often called me Hanschen.

Grandpa was always interested in our lives. He was at all our school concerts, recitals, and plays. Last fall, Terah had been sick, and just as she was getting better, Grandpa was taken to intensive care. We visited him there, and it was the first time he had seen Terah since she was sick.

Grandpa looked asleep when we got there. Terah said "hi" and started to ask him how he was doing. He immediately interrupted her. In the strongest voice I heard from him in quite awhile, he said, "Terah, how are you?" Grandpa refused discuss how he was doing until he was completely sure that Terah was OK. It's a special feeling to know how deeply he cared about us.

Grandpa always wanted visitors, even when his illnesses made it difficult. Terah and I often visited him after church on Sundays. He wanted to know how we were doing, what happened in church, and might tell us how he was doing if we asked. He sure wouldn't say anything if he thought it might interfere with hearing about us, though.

Sometimes, it was difficult for him to talk, but every time, he made sure to say thank you for visiting. That made us feel special, too.

Terah remembers another hospital visit. Even though Grandpa looked asleep, she held his hand and talked to him for awhile. When she said goodbye, Grandpa managed to open his eyes for a moment and thank her for visiting.

Last Thursday, Terah visited Grandpa at Bethesda. She called me at work to tell me that Grandpa didn't say "thank you". She didn't have to tell me what that meant.

We hurried back to Bethesda that evening. Grandpa was still not doing well. He said a few words when we got there, but by the end of our visit, he was too tired to thank us for visiting.

That time, I was the one that said "thank you". I thanked him for letting us visit him so many times. He brightened all our lives.