Remember When
Through this World Race journey we have the opportunity to fully grasp and appreciate our blessings. One that I truly appreciate is the friendship of one of my teammates that has been with me since the initial teams were. Her name is Kaila DeMoss and she is a talented writer and a consistent journal writer with a lot of great writing ideas. One writing idea she came up with was “Remember When”. Basically you reminisce all the amazing memories with someone, write it down, and share it with the person just for some good laughs. I encourage my readers to do the same with any person in their life who they love, whether it is a family member or a friend.
I’m writing and sharing this “Remember When” with you all about a special person in my life. He’s been one of my heroes in my life and has heavy influence on the person I am to this day. My desire at the end of this message is that you get to know how amazing this person is and, although like with pictures you don’t get to see everything in full color, that you get at least a tiny glimpse of this hero of my life.
This is who he was, who he is, and who he forever will be:
Dear hero of my life,
I want to thank you for all your wits, wisdom, and laughter. I put together some of the memories I hold deeply and live vividly when I reminisce about the moments we have had. I hope it gets you to remember and chuckle a bit, too.
(1)Remember when you took us to the baseball park to practice our bat swings, teaching us the correct form especially when Jeff had the Ken Griffey Jr. swing fever.
(2)Remember when you used to take us fishing. Even when it wasn’t my thing, I was happy because it was with you.
(3)Remember when you had a nickname for all our neighborhood friends (Pollito, Chavito, and others) and they all loved them.
(4)Remember the many times we watched and talked about New York Yankees games.
(5)Remember how I crowned you the King of Pancakes and for a while I didn’t want anyone else’s pancakes.
(6)Remember how electrifying you get watching boxing matches that involve a fellow puertorican fighter, jumping from the seat and saying “Ahora es que es! Ahora es que es!” (Now is the time!).
(7)Remember your face when, on the way to a beach, you asked a big muscular guy for directions and he responded with the most feminist voice.
(8)Remember that time when, I was in middle school, you told me that a beautiful girl from school talked to you about me, then you guessed a name of one of my classmates. My face got all jovial, and I said “REALLY!?” then you just laughed because you’d never met anyone from my school.
(9)Remember when you picked on me with your awesome humor so much that I wanted you to go home.
(10)Remember when you were worried about me, when you went and looked for me when I was “lost” in the subways of New York or waited at the hotel lobby at 5am in Cancun because I wasn’t back yet.
(11)Remember how you always schooled us in the game of dominoes. Always using strategies and reading other players’ games.
(12)Remember when we took the magnificent road trip from Jacksonville to New York in a yellow pick-up van only to start having mechanical problems in South Carolina. We also got lost when we missed the exit road but you never frowned or got angry about the situation.
(13)Remember when you were president of the Latin Club of Palm Coast, and you entrusted and empowered me to do the newsletter for the club.
(14)Remember, as you were driving and we saw my dad driving way faster and passing us, you said “I don’t know what’s people rush when you’ll get there when it’s meant for you to get there” only to see him next to us at the red light down the road.
(15)Remember how no matter what I decided to be when I grow up you always supported me and envisioned me being the best at it.
I thank God everyday for putting such an exemplary figure in my life to show me how to live a life of grace, patient, and humor. Showing me how to always serve others and take care of family no matter how far they are. Showing me how to always find a way to accomplish tasks even when you don’t have the proper tools to accomplish them. Showing me that love always rules over anger. For all of these and more, I thank God and you.
You will forever be a hero and a role model in my life.
I love you, Abuelo.
Love always,
Jan Carlo Del Valle (The guy that went to Africa
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