Why I am doing Movember this year.

This November I am joining a group of DadBoggers in what has been come to be known as Movember.  What is Movember? For the entire month, men grow out their mustaches to help raise
awareness for prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men and hopefully grow some sweet 'staches by the time the month is done.  By having a group of dadbloggers uniting to do this we can help spread the word through each of our blogs and, as our team states, "Use social media for social good."  Now while we are all doing this to raise awareness, I am also doing this for my own special reason.


I have decided to try to raise money in the name of my paternal grandfather, Jesus Aragon.  My grandfather passed away due to prostate cancer when I was in grammar school.  I wish I could tell you stories about what a great grandfather he was or all the times we hung out, but sadly I don't have many to tell.  My grandfather lived in Guatemala and only visited us here in the states a few times and me being a young boy, didn't really think it was cool to hang out with my grandpa.  I would rather go out and ride bikes with my friends than stay inside and listen to this old man that had nothing in common with me.  I remember being annoyed that he would have to sleep in my room with my grandma when they visited and I would have to either share a bed with one of my sisters or sleep in the living room.  I remember complaining about it or just being rude to them...boy was I an asshole.

If I do have any memories of my grandfather it's through pictures or stories my dad told me about him.  I remember seeing pictures of him riding a tractor and looking badass on it.  I remember hearing about the samurai swords he had in the house for protection.  One time when I was at my parent's house, my dad showed me some letters that my grandfather had written.  The letters were filled with poems that he wrote to my grandmother and as my dad read these he started to break down and cry.  Looking back at my youth, I wish I was more respectful of my grandfather and actually sat down and spent time with him, instead of thinking we had nothing in common.  I wish I could take back every horrible thing that I might have said to him and ask him about his tractor or his swords.  We both could've had a connection with poetry, because I too like to write poems and maybe he could have written poems with me.  Sadly, my days now are just filled with "if onlys" and "what ifs"

As I look at my kids today, they have something that I didn't have, or at least didn't try to have, a special relationship with their grandparents.  If they see them everyday or a few times a week, they have something that will last them a lifetime.  Sometimes I get a little jealous in seeing how happy they make each other and wishing I was able to be that happy with my grandfather.  My little girl loves both sets of her grandparents and always enjoys spending time with them.  I love hearing the stories she has of helping grandma in the garden or playing Zumba on the 360 with her "Pupapa."  It's a beautiful thing to see the joy in your parents eyes as they play with your child.

As Movember begins I am still on the fence about shaving my mustache and beard completely or just trimming it real short for the beginning of the month.  I am, what some might call, follicly challenged and can not grow a beard to save my life.  The goatee that I have is as good as it gets.  I still have a few hours to think about what I will do, but if you are interested in donating and raising money for a good cause, check out my Mo page and help out with anything that you can.

Thank you for reading,

Victor