Grandpa Barad

John Gerard Barad. Your grandpa. Mom’s dad. A self-proclaimed “simple man”. Faithful. Dependable. An introvert. A thinker. A perfectionist. Predictable to a fault. A leader. The person I have looked up to the most in my life.  

This will be kept simple because that’s the way your grandpa likes things. Simply stated, in my opinion, there is no man in existence who is more wonderful than your Grandpa Barad. He holds our family and himself to the highest standards and because of his guidance, support, and advice, I am the best version of myself. I have always been able to depend on him for the most sound advice. His opinion is more valuable to me than anyone else. His invaluable lessons have prepared me to be the best possible mom to you.

When you spend time with him, you will love the perfect balance of sensibility and fun he brings to every situation. He will teach you important life lessons and instill a desire in you to be the best you can be while telling the same jokes (Remember, he’s predictable to a fault) he’s told for years - and those jokes will make you laugh every time. 

Grandpa has always taken the best care of me. I have always been a priority and that’s why I was so selective when choosing a husband for me and a dad for you. He set the standard very high and only your dad was able to rise to the challenge of keeping me happy and fulfilled. I’m accustomed to the best of the best and your dad fills some big shoes.

I love watching the home videos of grandpa bathing me when I was your age. He took a painstakingly long time to bathe me, make me comfortable and get me ready for bed. Then he would rock me to sleep in his arms by walking around in the living room while we listened to Willie Nelson. This was our first routine and the most simple and profound expression of his love.

Our routines continued into my childhood. I remember grandpa driving me to school each morning and picking me up from daycare in the afternoon. Once we were in the truck, we would rewind the Sister Act cassette tape for 22 seconds until it was in the perfect position to play the song we would sing while driving to the Food Barn. We’d each pick up our afternoon snacks - a 6 pack of Coors Light for your grandpa and a package of Rollos candy for me. From this picture, you can tell I really did eat Rollos on a daily basis. Check out your grandpa’s sweet dance moves behind me.

Our amazing memories continued to accumulate while I was in high school and even into college. Most high school kids can’t wait to get away from their parents. It was always just the opposite for me. I enjoyed every second of growing up with dad as my dad and friend.

The most admirable characteristic of your grandpa is that he lives his life in a way that people naturally look up to him. He leads by example. He taught me about life and how to lead a good one through deliberate modeling - never expecting something from me that he didn’t expect from himself. While I was growing up and during the most pivotal years of my life, he never told me “no” when I asked about something or to do something and followed up with “because I said so” like many parents do, but he took time to explain things to me so that I understood deeply and because of that, I have never doubted that he has my best interest at heart. Even to this day, I crave his support and approval.

  

You will love your grandpa with such ease. He will protect you and love you in the most spectacular way - a way that will make you feel like the most special girl in the world. I can't wait for him to introduce you to awesome music like Gladys Knight & the Pips, James Taylor and jazz.  But more than anything, I can’t wait for him to hold you in his arms.

 We're waiting patiently for you. 

Love you more...