Watches are funny little things, aren?t they" These wonderful relics of artful ingenuity remain with us for decades, reminding us of where we?ve been, and who we?ve been there with. Many of you all, I?m sure, have a watch that once belonged to a loved one. Your pops? Rolex; your grandparents? pocket watch. You treasure it?it either adorns your wrist every day, or it sits in a protective box on display or tucked away. Wherever it is, I want you to get it. I want you to hold it in your hand right now; and if not a watch, hold that thing that remains from a loved one lost. You got it" Good. Please keep it in hand while I tell you about my grandpa (Frank Lavista) and the Casio he left behind. 

About a year and a half after my grandpa passed I was sitting with my grandma, sipping espresso and groaning my way through an episode of Days of Our Lives. When, at 2pm, I heard a little wristwatch alarm from her bedroom. I?d heard it a few times before and paid it no mind, as after a minute it stopped beeping anyway. But today I wanted to know why my grandma had a watch alarm going off everyday. She said, ?it?s grandpa?s watch,? as if he were still here. ?You can have it if you want,? snapping the reality back. I went into her bedroom, and saw the Casio W96H-1BV sitting atop the dresser. A practical watch for a practical, and stingy, person.  My grandpa rarely splurged, and never bothered with little inconveniences like changing watch batteries. When the battery in...