FMK - Great Grandpa

Tonight's post will be about your great grandpa. He is truly an amazing man. He has lived a life that should be the envy of most men. He is smart and ruthlessly funny. He is also caring and generous. He is the type of man I want to be. He should write a book about his life. I've no doubt it would be a tremendous seller.
First things first. Your great grandfather is not a young man. He is an old man with one solitary goal in his life. That is to meet both of you. He told me many years ago that he would not be happy until he held his great grand babies. And that is something I have wanted to give to him very much. Understand that this simple thing is the only thing he has ever asked of me. It brings me an absolute sense of right that, all things remaining constant, I will be able to grant him his one request. His entire life has been devoted to making his family happy. From his first wife, my grandma, to his current wife, he has only wanted to please. He has doted on every one he has ever known. And because of his genuine affection for the human spirit everyone who has met the man has instantly loved him and called him grandpa. Because he embodies the type of grandfather that great authors try to create.
Your great grandfather is also a man who has experienced tremendous sadness in his life. From the death of his son, my father, to the loss of his wife a year later, life has tried to break him. Cancer, a stroke, a heart attack and numerous surgeries and procedures later he stands with both fingers held high as if to say, "Fuck You! I'll go when I am damn well ready and I ain't ready!" He is without a doubt the strongest man I have ever met, both physically and emotionally. He said to me in the kitchen of my mother's home in NJ, "I never thought I was the strong one." Well I am here to tell you that he is the strong one. He is a rock. He is determined and willing. Nobody tells that man what to do.
Your great grandpa is also an extremely bright man. He can speak seven languages fluently. He has read more than I could ever know. He has life experiences that have made him worldly wise and street smart. Which is a dangerous combination to be. He can discuss any topic at will. He has remained current. Which is such an impressive thing. Most people lose touch when they get older. He seems to get more ahead of everyone else.
I truly could go on and on about this man. He fought and found love in WWII. He worked and interacted with NY luminaries like Andy Kaufman. He touched the lives of everyone who ever spoke to him. To this day my friends from back home ask about him. Keep in mind that they may have only met the man one time for a few minutes. But they cannot help but be interested in his well being. He gave me a love for movies and music and culture. He taught me to love life and all its idiosyncrasies. He is the most complexly simple man that has ever lived. I am proud that he is my grandfather and am ever thankful that he had an influence on my life.
I hope that when all is said and done that he got to see and hold you.
I hope that I grow to be half the man he doesn't even realize he is.