Letter to a Role Model: Papou

Yesterday was my Papou's 80th birthday. He's my dad's dad, he came to the U.S. from Greece when he was 15 to go to school, and he is truly the kind of role model I am lucky to have. Reaching a big milestone like an 80th birthday is a perfect time to reflect on the impact someone has had in your life. So, here I am, reflecting.  One of my favorite things about growing up is having the privelege of getting to know the adults in your life, as an adult yourself.  In childhood, we idolize our parents and grandparents.  For me, I always thought that Papou, the engineer, was really good at driving trains....

Petros Papas: he doesn't always carry paint buckets, but when he does, he does it with a smile

Here is a distilled list of qualities about my grandfather that I would like to emulate throughout my life.

1. His passion for life-long learning.  Even into late adulthood, especially after his retirement, he's known to sit in his office working out differential equations, reading about new technologies, and keeping his mind sharp. 
2. He is dedicated to his faith in God in an ongoing way.  I never realized until I was an adult how faithfully he attends services at St. Michael's Orthodox Church in Greensburg, PA, and how faithfully he serves on different committees, helps out with events, and fills any need the church community may have.  It doesn't have to be in a capacity that he is familiar with either - he just steps up to help in a prayerful, humble way - counting on the Big Guy to fill in the gaps.
3. His patient, caring, sacrificial love for his wife.  I can only try my best to give of myself so much to my husband over the next decades.  The love is obvious to anyone who witnesses them together.
4. His ability to stay active even into maturity.  He always did "calisthenics" (his words, not mine) as an adolescent and young adult, and now he routinely goes on walks around his neighborhood to stay fit, mobile, and agile at his age.  This, I'm confident, contributes greatly to his quality of life!
5. Papou is the patriarch of a family of engineers.  Several of us chose that profession, likely because of an inspiration seeded by his enthusiasm for engineering, math and science.  See #1.

If I make it to my 80th birthday, if I've been able to mimic Papou in the above attributes just a little bit, then I would say I've had a pretty successful life on this earth. 

May all of you be inspired to live your whole life well!

xoxo Phae