Over the summer I took the kids shoe shopping and it was one of the most visceral feelings I have had of missing my grandfather since he passed away last September. I got in the car upon leaving and sat in the parking lot and cried.

 

My grandfather always had an appreciation for well-made shoes, and when I was growing up he would take us to Kassis Brothers to buy our “church shoes.” That same tradition at that same store carried on to when I had my own children. One or two times a year, he would take his great-grandchildren to buy fancy shoes, or what we in our house call “Chaway shoes.”

 

 

 

To this day whether it’s a nicer pair of sandals, dusty bucks, or mary janes, the kids still refer to them all as Chaway shoes. And while there are a million places we could shop for shoes, this small tradition has come to mean the world to me. It’s something I hope I get to do every year, and every year think of Chaway.

 

There are a million ways to leave a legacy, and my grandfather left a large one. But I hope I never forget the small deposits that shaped who he was to us. Things like 30 second phone calls, grapefruit deliveries, and Chaway shoes. So many small deposits, compounding over time, leaving you rich beyond measure with memories.