My grandpa passed away about ten years before I was born, well before his time, I believe he was 46 years old. The only stories I can remember have to do with his job working for Carnation, and a blessing on the food that had do with being thankful for all that the Lord had provided with the exception of instant mashed potatoes.
After receiving a copy of his life history I learned more about the father of my father. I read with great satisfaction and admiration for this humble, clever, hard worker. I figured that because I worked in construction, I was a hard worker. I learned that I hadn't done squat! He wote much of the hard work that he did as he grew up. He said that he would out work most of the hired farm hands even when he was a little boy. When he was 11 or 12 he had two mules that he would use to pull stumps. He was so proficient that his father would hire him out to the surrounding neighbors to clear trees and pull stumps. This brief history is a pearl of mine and it inspires me never to shy away from a hard task and to give an honest effort in whatever I am doing.
Even though it took the boys two days and the aid of a grown man and a pick up truck, I hope that we were being smiled upon for nothing more than remembering where we came from.
Grandpa, please forgive me for being lazy.
2 comments:
Stephen, So glad to see your blog. To all of us who don't get our hands very dirty and who don't build additions to awesome places like The Pheonician, your blog is very interesting and I loved the history of your grandfather... good stuff.
Thanks for the memories, son. My dad, your grandfather, worked hard all his life. When I was a lad, he had me work along side him whenever he was out in the yard, fixing things around the house, or taking care of our livestock. I still have some of his hand tools and when I use them, i think of him. How I ended up as a desk-bound accountant is hard to figure, given my heritage.
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