Baltimore Bound

I don’t know if I ever told you this but there was one arrangement at my grandfather’s funeral that touched me most. The chapel in Colorado Springs was small and impersonal. Only a few friends and family attended. A snow storm blew through the night before; the entire world wore a bright white blanket. There, next to the open coffin, was an upside down horseshoe covered in Black Eyed Susan’s.

Later as Carrie and I waited to leave for the airport my grandfather’s friend told me why he chose that particular arrangement. Years and years ago he went to the Preakness Stakes with my grandfather and grandmother. They had a table in the stands where they sat drinking, anticipating the race. My grandfather, a liquor distributor at the time, saw some friends of his and went over to talk to them. He came back to the table, turned to his friend and said “Those are some friends of mine and you are going to watch the race with them. At the finish line”. This friend never forgot that day. That moment in a lifetime of moments stuck out. When my grandfather died, the Black Eyed Susan arrangement was a natural tribute to the man he knew.

Before my grandfather’s coffin was closed, a Kentucky quarter and a fifth of bourbon was placed in his pocket. Call it lagniappe to get him through to his final resting place. A fitting gift indeed for the man who watched as Secretariat crossed the finish line to win the Triple Crown. A man who was always up for the races no matter what time of day or night.

May 18th I will be flying to Baltimore with my stepmother who is taking me to the Preakness Stakes. Live and in person. I will see the track, listen to the beat of hooves, and bask in the history that is my grandfather’s. This will be a shining moment. The only thing that will dull it is not having my one and only by my side but she has been understanding that this is the chance of a lifetime. An opportunity to be with my grandfather again.