Bob was a big happy guy, except when he wasn’t. He genuinely enjoyed seeing people, especially those whom he had not seen in a while. You would get a loud hello and the handshake of the jolly green giant.

One Christmas Eve when my brother and his family were in town, the entire group of 13 came to church together. With my three children, there were 7 kids squished together in seats starting at the center aisle.

Enter Bob.

I saw him come through the front door on the opposite side of the church after leaving his wife at choir practice. His eyes gleamed when he noticed our visiting family. The large frame turned like a wind gage in a gust. He promptly marched across the front to reach our row. Starting with the first child he bent down with one arm behind his back and politely shook the hand of each kid, then greeted the adults to finish the row. Off he went out the back door through the kitchen. The kids felt valued, building more excitement for the upcoming wait until Christmas morning.

Then came the surprise. A repeat greeting.

Bob had an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s. While he could talk about those 1963 Bearcat’s being in the national championship game like it was yesterday, he remembered nothing from yesterday. Or even 10 minutes ago.

Spotting him come through the front door again, I knew what was coming. I prodded the kids like playful puppies and said, “Hey, it’s Mr. Spencer again.” He was looking around but when he spotted our row, his eyes gleamed and his smile, well, put a beard on him and he could pass for you know who.

The large frame turned like a wind gage in a gust. He promptly marched across the front to reach our row. Starting at the first child he bent down with one arm behind his back and politely shook the hand. By the time he greeted child number 3, the giggles grew to a full chorus like a Christmas bell choir. All the merrier it became for Bob, who then greeted us and went on his way. Both a sad moment and great humor which created an outstanding memory of a wonderful man.

May you have a Happy last Friday of the year that can create for you a great, lasting memory.