Grandpa Joe's electric bill

As I sat drinking coffee at the dining room table here awhile back, my wife entered with the mail. Stopping at one letter she asked incredulously, "Why is our electric bill in your grandfather's name?"

"Because it's not our bill. It's his bill," I explained. You see, the old barn which I now have was originally Grandpa Joe's. When he passed in 1991 Pops had the billing address changed to his house but kept his father's name on it. I presume it was so that he would know which bill it was; makes sense to me.

When Pops went home in 2013 that old barn became mine. And though I changed the electric bill to my address I kept it in Joe's name. Yes, so I knew which bill was his, but also because I like the continuity. It feels to me that some part of Joe is still here where I get a regular piece of mail with his name on it.

Maybe Pops felt that way too.