That Which Was Closest To Him
My grandfather, Donald Baker, was born on December 17, 1932, and died June 4, 2011.
I drove down to Florida with my parents the day I heard the news. All of his possessions were to be divided between his children and grandchildren. The first thing I received was his wallet.
It was wrapped in a ziplock bag with his glasses and wrist watch. It was thick. I’m not sure how he sat down with this thing in his pocket. I opened it and emptied it’s contents. Credit cards, insurance cards, receipts, business cards (including mine), drug prescription slips, seventeen dollars, and a piece of paper with the birthday dates of his grandchildren. It was a look into his personal finance, his medical history, and his daily routine.
And then there was that which was most important to him. Crammed into a plastic sleeve was over 25 photographs, covering a time span of over 50 years…
