there's nothing like family

So today was father's day, obviously. We went to my grandparents' house for dinner...basically the whole family was there. Somehow we ended up looking through old pictures and hearing stories from when my grandparents were younger. Honestly, it's one of my favorite things to do. (Matt was probably bored but oh well haha). I just love hearing what life was like back when they were growing up. I want to know the circumstances around the people they've become. I mean think about it...the world we grew up in has a lot to do with who we are today. Of course it's not everything, but it really does have an impact.

For example, my grandparents grew up during the Great Depression. Pop Pop told me tonight about how he and his brother would go out and work every day and bring every cent home to his mother so she could buy food for dinner that night. That helped him develop a really strong work ethic which in turn brought him a lot of success with his business and a ton of connections. Now a lot of kids are just handed stuff so they don't even need to learn to work for it. Even those of us who do work are working for our own money, not to bring home every cent to our parents to put dinner on the table. It's a different world and we grew up a different way.

But no matter what kind of person we are, no matter who we know or how hard we work, I've realized that we all face the same thing in one way or another: death. I said to Pop Pop that he's lived a good life and he said "I have, but I'm payin for it now". I'm not sure that's really the right way to put it, but he had a point. He lived an amazing life...I don't think there's a thing he didn't do that he wanted to do. But he's suffering just like so many others. He's facing death just like every one of us will at some point. And I don't say this to be morbid, but it's something to think about. What's worth our time here on earth and what's just a waste? And more importantly, where are we going when we die? I know I'm going to heaven and I hope you who's reading this know where you're going too, but there's only two ways to go and it's a choice. So I just hope you choose the right one. But it's something to think about...and I guess there's really nothing like family to get you thinking sometimes.