Two Great Men

This is my Grandpa Evans being saluted by my brother Stevie at a Korean War Memorial in Salt Lake City, 2005.

My Grandpa Evans

Today, two men have been on my mind a lot. One is my grandpa Evans and the other is my brother Stevie.
My grandpa died almost two years ago and today is his birthday. Although he is no longer with us I still think of him often and am influenced by his life and his love toward me constantly. My grandpa taught me so much about unconditional love and hard work. Until the day my grandpa died he was still working hard and never had a thought enter his mind about retirement. He loved to work. He also loved his family, no matter what drama was going on in the family he was always there to put an end to the nonsense. He had/has the respect of everyone in the family and they all listened to him.
As a little girl I spent a lot of time with my grandparents as my parents were working and in school. I remember going to the mall with grandpa to walk and then going back to their house to eat graham crackers and milk. My grandpa always made me feel special and loved. He was there for me whenever I needed him. He was at the hospital when I was sick, he made time to attend special school performances, and always made sure everyone in our large family always had a Christmas present.
My grandpa loved to make people laugh and this talent came naturally to him. He had a way of teasing people and bringing a smile to their face.
Before we left for Louisville, my family would eat Sunday dinner each week with my grandparents and we were able to spend good times with them and create fond memories.
I really miss having my grandpa around, I will always miss him. Love you grandpa!!!

My Brother Stevie

The reason my brother has been on my mind especially today is because he has been serving our country over seas for the past 8 months and his ship the USS Denver will be back in its San Diego port tomorrow. Stevie has been serving in the U.S. Navy for the past three years and will be done with his service this March. His experiences in the Navy have truly polished his hard work ethic and taught him more about respect and friendship. I know it has been hard to be in the middle east the last 8 months as the temperatures were extremely hot and being on a ship with limited AC did not help the situation. Many times he talked about he food and how they had the same thing day in and day out and how he longed just to have a PB and J sandwich, something that is readily available to us Americans. I am so proud of him and the way he has served his country. He has sacrificed much time away from his family, his new bride and two daughters that had a difficult time understanding where daddy was and why he was there. I am thankful for Stevie's safe deployment and that no harm came to him or his shipmates. I wish I could be there tomorrow to see his ship come in, but that cant happen. I know he will be surprised to see not only his wife and children but will be surprised when my mom and grandma show up as well. Love you bro!