Things We Carry
Dear Lucas,


Ladies and Gentleman, start your engines! Right after the most famous words in racing green flag is dropped at the Indianapolis 500. Next, the cars race off. My Papa, Dad, Uncle, and I are sitting in turn two, stand G, top row, seats seven, eight, nine, and ten as we do every year. It is a family tradition to be at the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. When, you’re there, you hear the engines roaring, the crowd cheering, and you feel the excitement in the air. As I took in my tenth Indy 500 I didn’t realize how precious this moment was with my Papa.


I am carrying this memory because going to the Indy 500 was one of the fun things I did with my Papa. I want to remember all the fun things we have done together like going to hockey and baseball games. Cheering on the Detroit Red Wings, Toledo Storm/Walleye, or Mud Hens. Sharing delicious cracker jack, and watching our favorite teams battle it out. Then spending the night and going to Tim Horton’s the following morning to get a dozen donuts. I loved spending time with my Papa; he was a very kind person. He always looked to take care of others. He was a person you could talk with, and even joke around with. He was a great Grandfather.


These memories weigh a lot, I think about past memories with my Papa daily. It means a lot that he took the time to do lots of things with me. The last Indy 500 memory means the most. I especially remember the last Sunday in May, leaving at 4 a.m. to go to Speedway, Indiana. We’d always go to Cracker Barrel in the morning. Then, we arrive at the track, and check out the infield. We would go to Gasoline Alley and watch the drivers prepare for the best race in motorsports. Once the race started we would root for A.J. Foyt’s car but I never saw them win. But it is always exciting to see who gets to drink the milk at the winners circle.


By carrying this memory, it demands me to think about him and the influence my Papa had on my life. These memories influenced me greatly and he taught me lots of lessons. He’s the one who encouraged me to play hockey, which is my favorite thing to do today. I’m really happy I could do things such as going to the Indy 500 every year with my Papa. This is because most people don’t have great relationships with their grandfather, but I was lucky enough to have a great relationship with my Papa. We had lots of good times together and I will especially cherish that last Indy 500 with my Papa.