Sunday, August 30, 2020
He will always be my baby cousin, even though he was taller than me by the time we were teenagers. There's so many memories to share. And these memories pop in my head without any specific rhyme or reason. I will always remember playing kickball with you at your house with Chris and your neighbors and the ghost players who would stand in as we played because we never had enough people to have actual teams. I remember the bonfires we had in your backyard growing up at night and eating s'mores. You also would be the more willing one to stay outside with me in the snow at grandma's house after Chris would want to go inside because it was too cold. The memories of rolling down the hill at grandma's house. I have memories of us on the swing at grandma's house. I will always remember your commitment to certain foods. We share a love for the Lipton ring-o-noodle soup (something that is very difficult to find these days) with extra rings because that's what grandma made us when we were sick. I can picture what's on your plate at holiday meals because like me, we tend to like the same things from when we were younger (apparently we're very committed to food traditions). As we got older, when we would see each other at holidays or other celebrations, it was like nothing changed. You were always my little cousin. Always so helpful and kind. I last saw you at my baby shower a year ago, and if I knew it would be the last time I would have hugged you more and took a photo with you. The final memory I want to share is your love for taking things apart and learning about how things work. You never could just see something with cool buttons and walk away. Instead, you wanted to see what made things go and click. Your desire to always learn and put things together once you figured them out was amazing. Over the last two years, when my mom had a question with something, I would just say "Oh ask Jeff, he can figure it out." I will always miss you. And I know you're with grandma shining down on everyone riding bikes together in the sky.
