For Grandpa JT

My dad emailed me last night from Biloxi, Mississippi that he misses my boys, which is silly because he saw them four days ago. I think it’s a little lonely to be sleeping in a sleeping bag in a loft with 75 strangers, especially for an Arizona guy like my dad, who likes his weather hot and dry.

My dad’s out there doing what you wish you could, he’s spending a week helping out with the hurricane relief. He has worked at a large company with really decent benefits for a long time now, so he ends up with a bunch of vacation time every year that he doesn’t like to waste. He’s learned that he isn’t the kind of guy who’s going to enjoy two weeks off before Christmas to shop, so this year, he decided fairly spur of the moment, to take some of his vacation time to go out and help. He’s been writing email about the experience every day and it certainly sounds interesting. He’s spent a day gutting houses destroyed by the water, and another setting up and repairing donated computers for a job fair that will take place today. He’s sore, but they’re feeding them well and he enjoys meeting new people, so he’s happy.

Anyway, he requested that I put up pictures of the kids, so Grandpa JT, this is for you:

Gray says Hi!
(Ben’s at school, but he says Hi, too!)

Keep up the good work. I hope I’m as tough and adventurous as you are when I’m your age (which, uh, isn’t going to happen unless I get tougher and more adventurous as I age).