as published at www.ocregister.com on July 25th, 2012:
"Don't bend the cards."
I'll never hear that phrase again without thinking of my Grandpa Mac. Last week, he became my first grandparent to pass away.
Not only were we not to bend the cards while shuffling, but Grandpa's voice will live on to remind us not to "play out of turn" and to avoid unscrupulous "table talk" with our partner while playing his favorite card game: Hand and Foot.At his funeral, many of his trademark phrases were shared over the podium as his five kids took turns remembering him, and the congregation of his life chuckled knowingly as we predominately heard catchphrases sputtered from his role as officiator of thousands of family card games.
Going to Grandpa and Grandma Mac's for dinner the second Sunday of the month was a ritual for many of their 21 grandkids who circulated through their town while attending college. And just as we knew Grandma would always serve her delicious soft rolls, homemade jam, and Jello topped with whipped cream, we knew as soon as the table was cleared of dishes, a box of Rook cards would fill their void. Grandpa would then shuffle and disperse the cards with the skill of a Vegas dealer as our eyes assessed our hand's ability to win the round, and our ears perked up to his jocular pre-game banter and occasional break into song.
However, once the first card was flipped, the game was on and so better had you be...
Read the rest:
Cracking Up: Remembering Grandpa Mac - OC Moms - The Orange County Register
