"I love you, as they say."

"As they say," something my grandfather, almost instinctively, used to say to me. Whether he was talking about something serious or just about his day, chances are, Pop would say it. The phrase, so simple, yet makes no sense in majority of contexts, never failed to put a smile on my face, and still does. Only this time, he isn't here to say it.

When Pop was healthy, it was easy to pay no attention to his phrase, to laugh it off, to not cherish it. Because he was so much more than a simple saying; he was difficult, he was funny, he was kind. He would cry at every Hallmark channel movie or "America's Got Talent" audition video he found on Facebook. He would look at the grade of 89% on my paper and ask, "Well, why didn't you get a 90?" He introduced me to "The Twilight Zone," a show that scared him when he was young, a show that would scare me too.

Everyone knows the phrase, "you don’t know what you have until it's gone," but some people don't know just how true it is. As Pop slipped through my fingers, I finally understood: it is important to always cherish the little things.

I believe in cherishing each and every detail about people, good or bad, silly or serious. Because one day, those people won't be there to share their quirks or "as they say's." They may be gone, but their special little details will always be alive in our memories. Maybe there won't be anyone crying at those dumb movies or videos. Maybe there won't be anyone to ridicule me when I don’t get a 90%, and maybe that's for the best. Maybe there won’t be anyone to watch "The Twilight Zone" with. But every time I see a Hallmark movie or an episode of "The Twilight Zone," I think of him and smile, remembering the memories we made through those things.

I believe in cherishing every little detail about people, because, although my Pop is gone, I am not sad. I remember him and laugh. I will always remember his loud, echoing voice telling me, "as they say," and I will always laugh forevermore; his little quirks and sayings will continue to live on through me. Although he is gone, he won’t ever truly be gone because of all of the things I remember and cherish about the impeccable person he was.

I love you Pop, as they say.