The thing about grandparents.

I was born with two, I met one, and 12 days ago she died (the last of her kind), partially because of one of the very few things that can actually make me angry, incompetent medical workers.


and as messed up as it sounds, I'm glad.


Because, if she hadn't, I probably would have never gone to Milwaukee.


My dad would still be hundreds of miles from the family he grew up with, there'd be a lot of family history that my sisters and I would have probably completely missed out on.


and I probably wouldn't have thought anything about it.


Because although I probably have somewhere close to 100 living relatives, for most of my life, my family basically consisted of four other people.


There's something really eye-opening about meeting and learning about your family.



It was weird, 'cause, like, I could see, within that week, a lot of moments that would be remembered for the rest of some of our lives. Something about seeing that take place-almost literally watching the impression being made-it's, it's something else.


Especially with the kids. I'm not going to lie, being able to teach them something and leaving a kind of a legacy is a thoroughly exciting thing.


There was a lot of teaching and learning involved with that trip, sometimes simultaneously, and I could tell, a lot of us needed the fellowship.


So thanks, Grandma. Thanks for the teddy bear, thanks for the dad, thanks for living your life and thanks for the family.


-Dean Jr.