I was sick on Friday, and luckily I was home when dad got yet another flat tire. The first flat tire happened on the way to Lincoln several months ago. He was driving down I-80 when his rear tire shredded. He called me for help, and I, in turn, called my son, Kyle, who lived about …
This is Vitauts about fifty years ago or so. Dapper and dashing with his pipe. He always had that air about him. Today Vitauts turns 88-years old. Eighty-eight! What a terrific number. The crazy 88 from Kill Bill come to mind. And then there are, of course, 88 keys on the piano. For his birthday, …
I will bet that Vitauts always thought of Halloween as a special occasion. After all, it’s the day before his birthday. Yes, the life-long pastor was born on All Saints Day. Coincidence? Maybe. Last night was the first time that I’ve spent Halloween with my father since, well, maybe since forever. When we were little, …
Dad’s memory may be fading as he turns 88 in just a week, but some of his memories come back like lightning flashing. Some flashes are far away, on the horizon, barely noticeable, but some strike furiously and seem to jolt him from the present to the past and back again. The other day, he was …
A friend of mine came over this weekend, and he tried to talk to my father, but he didn’t know how to say his name. There was an awkward exchange where he asked dad, and then me, “What is your name again?” I think dad has gone through this same experience most of his life. …
Vitauts Grinvalds has been going to church for a long time. As a young man, he went to church in Latvia, then, when he came to the United States, he continued going as a congregant until he became a pastor. Then it was church every Sunday for a long, long time. Duty called! Saturday nights …
Vitauts has always been a card player. When I was growing up, I could count on one inevitable thing: at each and every family gathering, a card game would break out, and dad would be involved. But the image I have of him that is even more prominent than the many basement tables with poker …
Vitauts was a pastor for a long time. It was the life he knew and his identity for over fifty years. During that time, he was a respected figure of five communities and congregations. They referred to him as “pastor” because they couldn’t say his first or last name. And then, on November 2, 2014 …
Today, September 29th, 2015, I took dad to the doctor. He hurt his foot last weekend, or at least he thought he did. On Monday he told me that he would like to go to the doctor because he hurt his foot. I suggested that we wait to see if it gets better. I figure …
I have told the story so many times that it has become almost a litany. Dad was born in or around Smiltene, Latvia on November 1, 1927. Almost 88 years ago. I told him that today, and he couldn’t believe he has lived this long. He tried to remember how old his sister was when …