03/03/2025
For My Grandpa Sonny
You walked with quiet thunder, strong and true,
A steady drumbeat we all once knew.
Your hands, like earth—so firm, so wide,
Your voice, like wind—our steadfast guide.
They called you Sonny, Pop, Brown Bear,
Names of love, yet none compare.
For all you gave, the life you spun,
No name could hold all that you’ve done.
Your laughter danced, your tongue in jest,
A playful way to teach your best.
With wisdom deep and heart so free,
You shaped the man I came to be.
You walked the Bay where fog runs deep,
Where city lights and waters meet.
You led me through its streets so wide,
And now I walk there by your side.
Yet roots ran deeper, Visalia’s ground,
Where childhood footsteps still resound.
Where sun-kissed fields and trees stand tall,
The land that raised you knew it all.
You retired where your story grew,
Among the ones who cherished you.
Now cradled where your life began,
Held forever by this land.
At four years free, you placed a stone,
A lesson rich, a truth well known.
“The student’s ready, the master sees,”
Your nod of faith still strengthens me.
Your love was steady, firm, and wise,
Reflected deep within your eyes.
And in that moment, hand to hand,
I knew you saw me as a man.
At seventy-eight, you walked ahead,
To join the ones our prayers have led.
Into the arms of those before,
Where love and spirit live once more.
But you are here, you never fade,
Your echoes strong in what you made.
In every heart, in all you’ve done,
Your legacy shines like the sun.
Grandpa, you are the stone I keep,
The voice that stirs when nights run deep.
The love that lights my path so bright,
That guides me home through darkest night.
I miss you, love you, honor you still,
Your wisdom shapes, your spirit will.
Until we meet in skies so blue,
Grandpa, I’ll keep on walking true.
— In honor of my Grandpa Sonny, who graduated to the next life a year ago today. Til we meet again, Grandpa! ❤️
To my family and friends—he lives in us,
His love, his lessons, his faith, his trust.
He calls us forward, strong and free,
To live with love, with unity.
He loved you all—so deep, so true,
And I do too. I stand with you. 🙏🏽❤️