A fine gentleman and then some

Ada is a lucky girl. During her seven months here on earth, she's been blessed to get to know a lot of people, but especially her Great Grandpa. He passed away this week from cancer that finally got the better of him. But he didn't go down without a fight-- she gets her stubbornness from him.

Ada's Great Grandpa was the best there is. He lit up every time we saw him, even though his treatments were draining most of his energy. He still managed to give the best hugs, share the best stories, and make you feel like you were special. His laughter was contagious, his smile bigger than any I've ever seen. And Ada loved sitting on his lap and just staring at him. She was in awe. He'd smile at her and she'd smile right back in the big open mouth smile that said, "Hey, I like you. I'm not sure what's going on but this is really fun."

I'm glad they had the chance to spend a little of what time he had left together. After all, that meant I got to spend more time with him too. He will be greatly missed, and remembered often.

Moral of the story: Babies are a great excuse to spend more time with the people you love, and the excuse never gets old. Use it often, you won't regret it.