Like many, I grew up watching Jeopardy every night with my family. For me, I watched it religiously with my step-father, Jeff. He was a hard-working roofer but he was great at the game show. This week was tough. Not only was it the end of an era and the last shows with host Alex Trebek, but a part of my childhood has gone away too. When we all heard the news that Alex Trebek lost his courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, we were all sad. But for me, Alex was part of my childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and now my adult life. The part that hit me the most, however, is how important Jeopardy with Alex Trebek was when I was growing up.

My step-father, Jeff was a hard-working roofer, and every night, he and I watched Jeopardy. As a kid, I marveled at how much he knew and how he would run through categories. He taught me a lot about how each clue is crafted and that if you really look into the clue, sometimes the question is in it. We played every night and yes he beat me every time.

As I grew older, Jeopardy became our game show. He and I would play every night and I don't think I ever beat him, but sometimes I came close. But it was never about beating him. I really only played to impress him with what I learned and knew.

Jeopardy was our game, our time together, our thing. My step-father passed away when he was 44 and I was 23. I cherished our Jeopardy game show appointments and because of the passing of Alex Trebek and the end of his time on Jeopardy, it has made me more aware and grateful for the time that Jeff and I had together.

So I guess the category would be Childhood...the clue...This game show gave me precious memories and time with my step-father, Jeff. Answer...What is Jeopardy?

Thank you, Alex Trebek.

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