GoodNews

LOCAL 24 MAY 2018 Good News • South Florida Edition Grandpa Knows Best Omar Aleman Owner, Aleman & Associates ‡ &URZQV ‡ %ULGJHV ‡ ,PSODQWV ‡ 'HQWXUHV ‡ )XOO PRXWK UHFRQVWUXFWLRQ ‡ 70- WKHUDS\ DQG PRUH ´:H EHOLHYH HYHU\RQH GHVHUYHV D VPLOH WKDW LQVWLOOV FRQILGHQFH DQG OLJKWV XS D URRP µ &877,1* ('*( 7(&+12/2*< :H RIIHU DOO WKH ODWHVW GHQWDO WUHDWPHQWV 1( WK $YHQXH 3RPSDQR %HDFK )/ DO OVPL OHVI ORU LGD FRP ‡ )LOOLQJV ‡ 5RRW FDQDOV ‡ ([WUDFWLRQV ‡ :KLWHQLQJ ‡ ,QYLVDOLJQ ‡ 9HQHHUV "TSFRVJSFECZMBX5IFQBUJFOUBOEBOZPUIFSQFSTPOSFTQPOTJCMFGPSQBZNFOUIBTBSJHIUUPSFGVTFUPQBZDBODFMQBZNFOUPSCFSFJNCVSTFEGPSBOZPUIFSTFSWJDFTFYBNJOBUJPOPSUSFBUNFOUUIBUJTQFSGPSNFEBTBSFTVMUPGBOEXJUIJO IPVSTPGSFTQPOEJOHUPUIFBEWFSUJTFNFOUGPSEJTDPVOUFEGFFFYBNJOBUJPOPSUSFBUNFOU$PTNFUJDEFOUJTUSZJTOPUSFDPHOJ[FEBTBTQFDJBMUZBSFBCZUIF"NFSJDBO%FOUBM"TPDJBUJPOPSUIF'MPSJEB#PBSEPG%FOUJTUSZ 'U 1DWDOLD $ 6WDGOHU *HW WKH VPLOH \RX YH DOZD\V ZDQWHG He did not have degrees on the wall, a couch or charge $100 per hour, but was a great psychologist and counselor. What he did have was a perennial cigar in his mouth, thinning hair and a constant penchant for a strong cup of coffee. He was a successful cigar maker, community leader and an occasional liar... to me! He "stretched the truth" around me, and I am the better for it. He was a "game changer"; the majority of my few good quali- ties are rooted in his teachings. "Let's go touch the moon," he said, as he grabbed my hand and took me away from the little boys playing in the park. A full moon sat atop the hill near the baseball park, waiting to be grabbed and ex- plored, and to a child's mind this was a prize to be had. We walked side by side for almost two kilometers, and the closer we got, the further it got. Abuelo encouraged me to walk faster before it slipped away but to no avail. He did not allow me to taste disap- pointment; "our problem was that we were too obvious; we need to hide among the build- ings and streets as we go up, and maybe we can sneak up on it next time." Needless to say, I never touched themoon, but that memory still burns in my heart; I loved the "old man!" He instilled in me the love of baseball. He would take me to the stadium to watch the games and read me the paper's sport section daily. One day he gave me a brown plastic glove and a red rubber ball and told me that if I threw it against the wall and caught it as many times as possible daily that I would play for the Yankees. I did as told, but the prediction never came through. However, the love and practice of the game al- lowed me to get a college scholarship, obtain my de-