You probably didn't know this (I don't think any one outside my immediate family does), but all my grandparents celebrate(d) their birthdays in January. First the men, then the women. Today marks the start of that with my g-pa on my dad's side. Lolo Gaspar.
My dad's family (with the exception of my dad) all relocated to Australia from the Philippines about twenty some years ago. Don't ask me how they picked Melbourne, Australia, since I won't know the answer, but they've lived there for quite some time and that means that compared to my mother's side of the family who I grew up with, I didn't see them all that often aside from a handful of trips here and there. Suffice it to say, I didn't know my Lolo Gaspar all too well while he was alive. What I remember the most are random things; like how he used to flex his arms like a muscle man; and how his eyes shined almost gray through his very thick coke bottle glasses when he smiled; and most of all, how he loved Hershey's bars with Almonds.
If I could turn back time, I'd wish for days I could spend with him; for days I could spend with all my grandparents, all together. As a kid, you don't realize that the days you have with the people you love can't be taken for granted because you will wake up one day and find that you won't get to hug that person anymore; or see them smile; or hear them laugh... it takes a while to understand that... but life keeps moving, whether you learn that lesson or not and whether you learn it in time or much too late...
I can't turn back the clock; nor can I bring him back... but today, for him, I had a Hershey bar with Almonds. And it was delicious.
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