Today is World Kindness Day and today is Grandpa’s second heavenly birthday in heaven. Today is a big day because if he had not moved to heaven, we’d be celebrating his birthday with 100 candles. Okay, that might cause a fire, but there would be a celebration for sure because 100 is a big birthday.
When you divorce you often find yourself drifting away from the family that raised your spouse. The Hahn family were gracious and loving to me and welcomed me as one of their own. I thought they would hate me when things did not work out as planned. I figured that they would never want to see me again. But we are family by virtue of shared experiences, my two sons and three grandsons.
And so I came to Christmas and Thanksgiving and other family events along with my new husband. I’m grateful that forgiveness is a part of my story because my former husband and I eventually became friends again and we enjoy family gatherings together.
The year he turned 98, Grandpa had his last big party. He still lived alone and he baked his own cake as he always did. I was away on a trip to see my sisters, my first time traveling since Houston, so I was not there.
When I got home I asked Steven, my then four-year-old grandson, how old his grandpa was. I still can see his face light up with joy when he shouted, “Grandma! Grandpa’s not just eight! Grandpa’s NINETY-EIGHT!”
James Hahn was one of the kindest men I’ve ever known in my life. He was patient, forgiving, he never stopped learning, and he loved to give. He was so smart about a huge number of subjects that there was never a break in the conversation. He was always interested in whoever he was talking too at the time. He volunteered, raised Monarch butterflies, and spent time with his countless grandchildren passing along knowledge to them.
If we were all even a teeny bit as kind as Grandpa was then the world would be a much better place.
Happy birthday to a man who celebrated World Kindness Day every single day of his life.
