Thank you Grandpa...

In the early 80's my parents and my grandparents built a summer home in Howard City, Michigan. It was my favorite place in the world. I learned to fish, play cards, camp, swim, hide and relax at this magical place. It was a 3 hour drive to this beautiful lake front cabin from my home in Indiana. Every time we got to the main street of Howard City my heart would start to race and I would slobber all over the windows in anticipation of the dirt road that lead me to the big yellow "Bike House". A name I gave it in the 80's because the garage was not yet completed and we had to store our bikes in the house. It stuck. To me it was without question, I was so young when I named it that I forgot I named it. The Bike house was always and will always be just that.

In the early 90's my grandfather was painting the garage when he fell and broke his leg. It was so bad I probably shouldn't describe it. He was using a cane for a very long time and he was limping and had trouble with stairs up until his sudden death in 2004.

Today I received something in the mail from my grandmother (pictured above with my grandpa). It was his cane. A beautiful cane. Such a beautiful cane.

The fact that I get to use his cane after I have knee surgery almost makes it worth it. I'm honored.