Memories of Leslie

Speech from memorial Service: I often compare what your day and life will look like to a lottery ticket. The day you are born your lottery ticket is the longest it will ever be. Where you are born, your ethnicity, who your parents are, wealth, man or woman, what issues exist in the world, etc. My Sister and I had some pretty unfortunate items on our lottery tickets. However, our lottery tickets included an incredible gift, we were blessed with the most profoundly loving and caring grandparents you could ever image. As I reflect on my life, despite there being many difficult times and moments of adversity, I consider myself incredibly fortunate. My lottery ticket was better than I could ever have imagined. Few people in this world have had the profound impact on my that my grandma did. During my childhood it was not uncommon for people to make the assumption that I would end up in jail or in some sort of trouble. Quite honestly, there were times I felt the same. I often spent time in the office, pulled from classes, and reprimanded for my outbursts. As I continued through school and made the same mistakes over and over, I really started to believe what others felt towards me, I was going to cause trouble my whole life. Grandma always saw the good in me despite the issues I found myself throughout childhood. I remember thinking, who is she kidding. But she was always there, reminding me that I was loved, that I was important, and that I was capable of growing. There were many times I needed to be reminded of that, and she always did. As I continued through junior high and high school, I started to get a better grasp on life. Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Don guided me, showed me how to be responsible, be independent, make better choices, and how to be compassionate to others and myself. It was the greatest honor of my lifetime to be her grandson, and their grandchild. It's hard to talk about my grandma without talking about some of the darker times in my life. Having grandma there was what made the dark times tolerable. I wanted whatever I talked about to not be a gloomy story, but, these are the stories of my hero and how she saved me from countless pitfalls. My life would be substantially different without both grandma and grandpa. I'm so grateful for both of them. I'd love to tell a few stories about some of my favorite memories of grandma: ----- Grandma was always in charge of hosting breakfast at the Kariotis community center, where her and grandpa lived up until 2014. Grandma was notorious for making the best french toast. I was probably 8 years old when I was sitting across from grandpa Don has he taught me the almighty way of putting peanut butter on your french toast before covering it in syrup. To this day, I cover my french toast in peanut butter. Sometimes grandma would know I might be having a hard day, and after I was done eating my peanut butter french toast, she would come find me and tell me to come help her flip french toast in the kitchen. She had an innate ability to see when someone was hurting, and found ways to helm them. ----- I worked at the Express Car Wash (Now Brown Bear car wash) next to the Safeway in East Bremerton. I would typically get off work at 6:30 in the evening and head over to Grandma and Grandpa's house at Kariotis. When I went inside (Shoes off of course), I would always be greeted with a big hug from grandma. I would tell her stories about my day, school, anything and everything - while she made me and grandpa toasted cheese sandwiches. Once the sandwiches were ready, I would go into the den with grandpa and we would eat our sandwiches together while we watched tv. Spending that time with them was such a special treasure. I'd give everything in the world to have one more toasted cheese with them. ---- To close things out I'd love to leave everyone with a message. Grandma Leslie was a beacon of light for many of us, and we've all been in places where we need help. I hope everyone here can find ways to be a shoulder to lean on when others may need it. Spread your love to those who need it most. In that way, we can make sure her light continues to shine on.

Ancient Greeks used the word for psyche for both soul and butterfly. In Mexican culture, monarch butterflies return around día de los muertos, and are seen as the spirits of departed loved ones returning. Native American traditions in some tribes view butterflies as messengers carrying wishes or prayers to the Creator. I have a lot of butterflies in my garden. But the other day I was visited by a particularly incredible butterfly. It was the size of a small bird, gorgeous coloring, a tinge of red, and I said “Hi Grandma Leslie!” So I hope that the next time you are visited by a particularly stunning butterfly, you think of my grandma. Grandma Leslie wasn’t religious, but the first time she met my now wife she told her that she was psychic. I didn’t hear this conversation first hand, but when I asked her about it years later she said full of conviction “yes, I know things I’m not supposed to!” And that was that. My grandmother used to tell a story about how she never knew how much she could love until she became a grandmother. I was lucky enough to be the one to make her a grandmother. Or as I called her, Grammy or Grams. When I was little I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, especially grandma. When we were out running errands people always thought that she was my mother, and I caught on very quick that this was really good that strangers thought she was so young. So I would tell them, actually she’s my grandma, because I knew how much she loved to see their shock that she could possibly be a grandma. She was so beautiful. My grandmother was kind, and funny, she was smart, and curious, and she felt things fully. She LOVED shopping. And I was so lucky that she loved me. I feel like I won the grandma lottery. She never missed an opportunity to tell anyone who would listen how proud she was of my brother and I. Including Trader Joe’s employees, the woman who sold us her new recliner chair a few years ago, and I’m sure many of you in this room. She never took credit, but she did everything in her power to help us be successful in life. And she loved us endlessly. Things that make me think about my grandma with little to no context. Butterflies Dawn dish soap (the orange one) for bubble bath A big hug The color purple and purple flowers Avocado toast Air dried towels The smell of fresh rolls baking Flipping someone off in traffic A crucifix The smell of a dry cleaner Pinesol Trader Joe’s Emeralds Loons The Beatles Northern lights Ricollas Yelling at refs Thai peanut sauce Costco Parchment paper Swedish pancakes A large glass of ice water Yellow roses, her favorite

I remember when I first heard Leslie share at a meeting and announce herself "My name is Leslie Morgan and Im a grateful recovering alcoholic" I might have rolled my eyes, maybe thought it was corney, but as she shared her story in that meeting the reality hit me.. she has so much to be grateful for.... and so do I.. Leslie and I were close when we needed to be, even when I hadn't seen her in a few years or months she was always a bright spot in my life, always asking how I was instead of insinuating the worst. She didnt like dogs, we all knew that, but she liked mine, she apologized to me when dogs were voted out of the meetings. She said "Roofers a good boy, sorry Tara" I was grateful for that. Leslie was a woman of grace and dignity,, honest whether it hurt my feelings or not, gentle when needed, definately tolerant. I would call her at 11 pm while on my way home from work, we'd talk until I pulled into my driveway. She guided me during hardships in my marriage and was a friend through my divorce. She loved her family more than anything. I am grateful to have walked shoulder to shoulder with her in this life of recovery with her. Thank you for sharing her.

Dear Mom. Whenever I told you that you were the best mom, you shrugged it off and said you were far from perfect. Well, the final verdict is in and you ARE the best mom. You always opened your home to my friends and made them feel like part of the family. Brace Foster clearly remembers that you gave us healthy snacks when we were watching professional wrestling on TV as kids. And…on prom night, when Bob and Mike and I were about to scrape together some cash for the limousine, you and Don stepped in and paid for the whole thing. I will really miss that I could always talk to you or watch a game together on TV. Thank you for everything, Mom. You were the best. Love, your son, David

I have a vivid core memory of singing Sweet Caroline as loud as we could in the parking lot of South Park Cleaners. Just because. I’ll miss you forever, Grandma.