My Grandfather Nick was a man loved by all. He was jovial. A practical joker, and in his words a kibitzer – essentially someone who enjoyed teasing and then laugh at the response that he provoked.
Nick was a magnet for children. He just possessed this endearing way of drawing kids in. He shared in their joy and then the joy became his. Throughout my childhood I don’t think there was a single day when I saw him sad. The only day that I can ever remember sadness enveloping him is the day the love of his life, my dear Grandmother Marie, passed suddenly. But in a style true to his character, Nick would later use the experience to help my Dad through his mourning process when my Mom left our world nearly as abruptly.
My Grandfather always had this saying – a mantra of sorts for him: “Don’t worry about nuttin’”. From Nick’s perspective, he didn’t see the point in worrying about things because worrying changed nothing. He was more about figuring out how to fix the thing triggering the worrying. I think about him often along with his treasured mantra. I thought about him again today when my dear friend Cathy sent me a link to the video below.
Not only did the video trigger loving thoughts of my Grandfather, it also made me appreciate Cathy even more. The message means something to her as well. You see she’s battling breast cancer and she’s doing so well in her fight. Her enthusiasm and positive outlook, coupled with her incredible courage are paving her way to victory – paving her way to the realization that “every little thing is gonna be alright”.
Thank you Cathy for the blessing of you, for conjuring up great memories and for the gift of this beautiful little boy’s video.
Don’t worry!
