Life moves pretty fast. But if you stop and think once in awhile about the strange coincidences that take place in your life, you might begin to believe in the invisible hands guiding you.
The RestingSpot story began last fall when my family and I could not find the grave of my grandfather, Dr. Gerald Atlas, on the 1-year anniversary of his passing. My grandfather was a respected doctor in the City of Chicago. It brought me such pride when, as a young child in a huge city, strangers used to ask me, “Are you related to Doc Atlas?”
He was always Grandpa to me. He took me alone on a deep-sea fishing trip to Islamorada, Florida when I was 13 years old. He used to give me riddles to solve and teach me little things that seemed trivial at the time, but that I would never forget. Yes, Grandpa, I still remember from when I was 9 that the longest word in the dictionary is “Pneumonultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconeosis,” and my 5-year-old son now does too.
Beyond medicine, Grandpa was an inventor. He invented the Star Docks that you can still see as you gaze out at the Chicago harbors in Lake Michigan. He invented a cane that latched onto tables, so that you’d never have to bend down and pick it up off the floor. He was always thinking of ways to change the world.
My Grandpa always used to say, “It doesn’t matter what you read, but you need to read something every night before bed.” So cruel, then, that Grandpa lost his vision to Macular Degeneration, and was no longer able to do the thing he loved most. At the end, he couldn’t see much at all.
The idea for RestingSpot popped into my head while searching for Grandpa’s grave. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it surely was no coincidence. Grandpa was still inventing. And where he is now, I know he can finally see again. I hope he sees what we’re doing and he’s proud.
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