A Hike to Remember

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I would not be in Korea if not for my grandpa, Gene Griffith. It's such an obvious statement to me and yet I didn't fully realize until I was mid-hike up a mountain with my teachers. The blue sky was smeared gray and there was a bit of a chill in the air. It looked like rain was coming. One of my co-teachers pulled out a massive bag of cucumbers and handed me two. I was in a ridiculous predicament as I tried to figure out where to put them. We started up the long wooden staircase to the main hiking trail. Pushing my body up the mountain became rhythmic and I zoned out on the thoughts that I had pushed to the side all day. It was the day of my grandpa's funeral in Southern California. I knew that 300 people, including my close family, were there celebrating the life of a man that I didn't get to say goodbye to. A man who was so kind and giving that that many people came to share in his memory. Being in Korea sometimes feels as though you are living in some sort of semi-reality, as though life at home is on pause, but on this day I really felt how completely and utterly far away I was.

It was an absolute gift that my teachers had decided to go on a hike that day. Hiking up a mountain under the canopy of trees I thought of all the hikes my grandpa has taken us on in places like Steep Ravine. As I came over the last rock to the look-out that peered down on the valley where I live, I thought about grandpa's hiking hats and his love for adventure and travel. Grandpa had always seemed such a calming force and yet he had such energy. Grandma and him traveled throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia and would bring home pictures and sweet little gifts that left me itching to do the same. They supported me in everything I did. Never doubting. Never questioning. Always helping and always proud. Grandpa was almost overly generous. I would say I was going to see a friend and out would come the wallet and a sneaky bill would get placed in my hand. "You have fun", he would say with a smile and a twinkle in his blue eyes.

The mischievous twinkle that would appear when he would take me and my brother out for ice cream or donuts (on what I thought was the sly but I think we were just pretending and everyone was well aware what we were doing). When Evan and I were little things, Grandpa would sit in our brown rocking chair in his matching pajama set and we would sit at his feet and try to steal his slippers like crazy children. It was our favorite game and Grandpa just laughed at us.

Gene Griffith gave me a wonderful example of kindness, love, generosity, spontaneity, and a zest for life. It is because of him that my mom and I love early morning road trips and seeing the sunrise. He always put family first and he loved his family very much. I'm so glad that we got to go to Mexico together before he passed away. Up until the end, he wanted to explore. Without him in my life, I may never have had the help and encouragement to make it to where I am today. I love you Grandpa.

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Photos

G&G&Me
in mission viejo on a nice summer day