Timmy Burns

Like Bringing a Screwdriver to a Nail Gun Fight.

My To-Do list is daunting at the least. Each time I think I knock something off, I take a step back to admire my accomplishment, and then an immediate step forward - head down - to make note of two more items that need to be added to the list.

Priority right now is getting a video together and preparing (see: cleaning) for my Grandfather's 71st birthday on Saturday.

There's a lot to do, but as I am shuffling through nearly 200 photos of his life something came to the front of my mind. It was a small amount of sadness, disbelief, and a fair amount of regret.

200 photos? Is that all? We have contacted nearly every family member in the country to send in pictures and few people had any.

My Grandfather is a strong, stubborn man. I spent a lot of time with him when I was young. He's hot headed, a poor loser, and easily aggravated. After I looked at these pictures from year ago, I wonder when these features set in. During his earlier years he seems to be the ham in the pictures. What I've also seen in these photos is that he's experienced quite a bit in his life time.

What I've noticed, most of all, is that I don't really know my Grandfather. Up until recently I had never spoke to anyone about his young adult life, where he came from, who he grew up with, what he did, or what he wanted to be. I don't know stories about him as a boy, he's never shared his life experiences with me, we didn't play catch or cards.

I love my Grandfather with all my heart - but I regret never really being close to him. I guess I regret never really being close to any of my family members. But I'm working on that. I have to believe that it's never too late to learn.

I think that I need to readjust my priorities to things that are really important. I need to spend more time with my family. I want to learn about their history and their lives. I want detail. I want to know how their lives help me identify myself as a person. I want to know the events they experienced that identified them as a person. I just want to know anything and everything.

So each time I can remove something else from my list of tasks, I'll remember that one thing will always remain - family.