It’s the little things like recalling his excitement at making homemade vanilla ice cream each summer, or the way his baritone voice filled the space of a room when he laughed ~ loud, hard, and true.  I remember how proud he seemed to take me to the Eagles for a drink during my first visit after turning 21, and how he always ribbed me a little bit about anything.  I’m not sure if it was to keep me tough, or to keep himself to become too soft. 

When the state quarters were first released, I thought that I should probably collect them, it seemed like a pretty big deal.  Time passed and I never followed through with that thought.  The details are vague as to when and where we had the conversation, but I remember him telling me that he’d started collecting a set for each of his grandkids.  Then he teased that I’d probably cash it in for gas money or something. 

I’ve thought about it often, and during a recent visit with Grandma I was able to see the collection as he left it.  The partial rolls, in order by date of release, states checked off as he drew nearer to completion.  I think about him checking his change for the last Delaware coin, and I wonder how often he came back to this work.  When Grandma gave me the quarters to sort, I couldn’t wait to begin.  His precision with the small details spoke volumes about how much he cared for each of us.  When I completed a few check marks he had yet to make, I counted to find we have the last 8 states to collect.  Eight states.  Eight Grandchildren.

Today we are celebrating the joy and memory of Grandpa Ewing.  We love and miss you dearly!