There Will Be An Answer

"And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me.  Shine until the morning, let it be."

This is one of my favorite verse in a song that I have ever heard.  Paul McCartney wrote this song after having a dream about his mother.  She died from cancer when Paul was only 14 years old.  He later said "It was great to visit with her again.  I was very blessed to have that dream." Let It Be is a song that always makes me think of my grandfather and inspires me to be stronger, try harder, stay honest and all with a smile on my face. Just like he did his entire life.

My grandfather passed away seven years ago this month and he is still a powerful influence on his family.  My grandmother, his loving wife for 55 years, still has tough days. On holidays that we are together she says grace before the meal in the same way that he always did, with a tear in her eye.  I still miss him, but I try and remember him with a smile, or laugh at a joke that he once told me.  My grandfather was a funny man and he could always make a joke or tell a funny story that would lighten the mood, even at the most tense of moments.  When my sisters and I were young he would always joke with us about seeing pink elephants everywhere.  There was a full bar in my grandparents house downstairs and we used to sit at the stools and laugh at his stories while he would make us Shirley Temples... extra cherries for me. 

But he was also a very hardworking man.  He served our country in the Army during the end of World War 2 and was stationed in Germany during the Berlin Air Lift.  He told me stories about riding his motorcycle around the countryside over there and a night that he broke into one of Hitler's mansions with a buddy and took his own tour of the place.  Stole a piece of marble from a fireplace on the way out.  He worked hard and supported his family while going to night school.  It took him a while but he earned a Bachelors Degree from Fairleigh Dickenson university.  That kind of hard work and dedication is something that I admire and strive for in my own life. 

I have a tattoo on my back in honor of my grandfather.  He was very active with the church and was a devout Catholic his entire life.  He was a 3rd Degree Knight of Columbus and was very proud of that.  The tattoo is of the shield of the Knights of Columbus in the talons of an eagle.  The center of the shield has his initials "K.N." instead of K of C for the Knights.  I would like to add to it soon with that verse from Let It Be that I am so fond of.  I think it is the perfect complement to the shield.  I have been through some tough times but I have fought through adversity and remain strong and motivated.  I have been through my cloudy night, and that light is still shining brightly on me.  Thank you for watching over me grandpa.