Reading the newspaper with my granddad ...

And nurturing an appreciation for knowing what's going on ...

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Reading the newspaper with my granddad ... Sometimes it's impossible to wrap your head around how much someone means to you, how much influence and impact they've had on you, until they're gone. And even in their absence, the magnitude remains somehow as elusive as it is palpable. Like trying to calculate how such essential elements as air or water or Mad magazine have shaped you into the person you are — without these things you'd scarcely exist at all.  And so it is with the passing of my granddad in September. I just returned from his funeral, and have yet to wrap my head around how different the world seems knowing he has taken his leave. Perhaps this gnawing void will always be — a place absent of gravity, a space where even a compass could lose its bearings.  And as disorienting as it can be to lose someone that has alway been around — he was 96 years old, an old soul born upon a sepia toned landscape — this loss also serves to shift some things into sharp focus. Since his passing, my mind is flooded with the myriad ways he influenced me. One such way my granddad influenced me was by passing on his enjoyment of and appreciation for the newspaper — a cup of coffee with the newspaper, a morning ritual, a veil to be passed through before embarking on a day's journey and adventure.  When I would stay with my grandparents as a child, each day began this way. On the back porch, sun streaming in and dancing on the coffee's steam, my granddad plowing into the A section while leaving me the comics to devour. Soon, I'd move on to the Sports section, then have my mind blown by local Pensacola News Journal columnist Troy Moon, and then finally, grow into fully appreciating the A section, the meat.  In reading the newspaper with my granddad, I learned the value of knowing what was going on — the who, what, where and why of any given topic — and how arming oneself with this information prepares them for navigating various aspects of their life. This was a gift he gave to me — and I'm grateful that I now have an opportunity to participate in this process, to be able to help provide the readers of the Montrose Daily Press with the information needed to navigate this community.  Thanks, granddad … and may all the newspapers in heaven be chock full of comics!  Have a Good One,  Jeremy Morrison, managing editor jeremy.morrison@montrosepress.com QUICK LINKS Listen to our podcast Montrose Fresh, it's available everywhere podcasts are found including Apple, Pandora, Spotify and Amazon Music Remember those we've lost in our obituaries section View the letter to the editor. If you would like to submit a letter please email: editor@montrosepress.com Get today's weather forecast Check out our classifieds and explore the MDP e-editions Already a subscriber, but need to activate your digital account? Click here to create an account or call our office at 970-249-3444 and we'll get you all set

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