Let's take it back to the 1930s in the great city of brotherly love. My grandfather was brought into this world as the third of five children, right smack dab in the middle. He grew up in a household with hard working, passionate, loving, ushy-gushy, Yiddish-speaking parents. They instilled the hard working, passion, and loving aspects of themselves into their children, especially my grandfather.

During this time period, not many young adults went to college but instead learned a trade. My grandfather defied those odds and went to The University of Pennsylvania in hopes to become a doctor one day. Before attending college my grandfather was drafted into the Navy. And without being drafted into the Navy, he would not have had to take his braces off. If the braces hadn't been taken off, then my grandfather wouldn't be the same man he is today; with the famous gap in between his two front teeth, an 'Irv signature'. His smile was seen through the years of being a chemical and pharmaceutical salesman. Come on, if you saw his adorable smile wouldn't you want to buy from him?

A few more years go on until he finally met the love of his life, Shirley. This whole thing happened on accident actually, quite the accident if I do say so myself. An accident that turned into just over fifty years of love; two children and a set of accidental twins, but hey, everything happens for a reason, right? Of course!

His four children produced seven unique grandchildren, each with different interests and strengths. My grandfather loves each and every one of us in a different way but shows his affection the same way. Always kisses us, or should I say tickles us on the cheek with his bristley mustache, or more recently his goatee. And after the cheek kiss is the big squeeze where he recites his catchphrase, "I love these kids"! When he says the word love he doesn't just say it, he feels it. The warmness and fuzziness that the word love embeds in his heart pumps through his veins with every breath he takes.

The Irv love I discussed above trickles down to his job of choice in his later years of life. He is now a travel trainer for special needs young adults at a local high school. This job description entails: making reservations for the individuals to take public transportation to go to work, teaching the individual how to take public transportation, and teaching the individual to be able to work and communicate in a public setting. The amount of time and care that is put into his chosen area of work really shapes the man my grandfather is today.

After the sudden passing of my grandmother, who was the light of my life, my grandfather grew even tougher skin for all of us as we went through this together. This being the first tragedy all of the seven grandchildren were there to witness. The world stopped for a month or so, but he is slowly regaining his strength with the love and support we give him as a family unit. My grandfather shows his love for me just as my grandmother did. Oh, and did I happen to mention I was her favorite grandchild? Well, I was, and I still am! I don;t know what it is, but I feel extreme love and affection from my grandfather, and I am so happy to hear that I make him proud. Going to college to become a nurse has been a dream of mine, and he knows my dream will come true, and that my grandmother is looking down on me while I complete this major stepping stone in my life. He is here to support me in every step I take. One thing I always remember he says is, "After you take the test it's over, don't worry about hat question you thought you got right or wrong. It's over, you can't do anything about it. Just forget about it, no more stress". And that right there, that is why I am where I am today. Eliminating worry allows room for adding fun, and everyone needs a little fun in their life.

Pop-Pop Irv has given me my family. He has given me the will to be strong, the will to not give up, and the will to express my love and affection to those who are in my life. He has shown that smiles and laughter can be contagious and that you can never eat too many Kalamata olives. I admire and idolize my grandfather and hope to keep making him proud. My Pop-Pop is the new light in my life, and I know his light will only become brighter as my life carries on.