That's a whole dang slew of years. Basically the entire development of the modern era has taken place in the last 103 years. Everything from aviation to automobiles, from computers to space travel, from microwaves ovens to televisions, from mechanized warfare to homeland security, all these have happened in the last 103 years. And my grandfather has seen them all.

My grandfather passed away this past weekend. He was 103 years old. He's led a very full life. In a lot of ways, he was very much a father to me, not just a grandfather. He and my grandmother had come to live with my parents before I was born, and they helped raise my siblings and me. They were our daycare, our playmates, our friends, our grandparents. He encouraged us three grandchildren to be well-rounded individuals, prompting us to study everything from foreign languages and math and science, to exercising and playing musical instruments. He himself was a very accomplished engineer, a teacher, an athlete, a party animal. I remember when my grandparents lived in a senior community apartment complex, they would go to the community parties and get-togethers the apartment managers facilitated. He was the life of the party, singing, dancing, playing the piano. Very much the ladies' man. ;-)

He was a fighter. Only in his last couple of months did he finally agree to use a wheelchair. Up until then, he insisted on walking everywhere himself, bathing himself, feeding himself. He carried his walker only because the nursing home staff wanted him to have it with him, so he carried it for show. He would brag about the fact that he was the oldest person there and the only person who could feed himself. Up until his last hours, he had a very clear mind. His eyesight was failing, but not to where he couldn't read. He had gone to school in Belgium and France, and so learned French fluently. He still spoke English with a perfect French accent, and would speak what I call "Frenglish," an interesting mix of French and English. He would tell us about how when he wrote letters to his friends and family, he would have three dictionaries on hand: Chinese, French, and English, so that if he couldn't remember a word in one language, he could translate from another language.

So now he is reunited with his wife of 73 years, who passed away a little over 2 years ago. I'm sad, but also grateful for the long and fruitful life that he had. For me, his death is easier to accept on some level because he lived over 100 years. In my mind, that's a very full life, almost two lifetimes for a lot of people. I just pray that I'll be able to live my life as fully as he lived his, not just in years but also in experiences. The main thing I learned from my back injury 3 years ago is that life is short, and it is OK to eat dessert first, because if you don't, you might miss out and regret it. In all my experiences so far, both good and bad, there is nothing I regret except not seeing the light earlier.

The moral of the story is this: Live every moment. I mean really live every moment. You may not have time later to go back. Give yourself some stories to tell your kids and grandkids, and then you will live forever in memories.

¶ 9:03 PM