I love my grandfather and absolutely look up to him. He has so many stories to tell about life that I never get tired of listening to him. He lives in New Mexico and when I'm over there, I just try to soak up as much wisdom from his as possible.I look at him and I tell myself that I want to just like him in my old age. He is in his 80s but is still robust for his age. He can still get up and mow that lawn and do some light duty yard work. But that is not what I find most fascinating about him.
After his daily early morning chores, he sits on the porch and looks into distance. There is a beautiful mountain range in front of his home so I assume that is what he is looking at. Yet, he does not just sit and stare at mountains. He sits and reflects.
He looks back at his life and, for him, it all makes sense now. He sits and looks back at his past and understands why events in his past occurred and understands them now.
His mistakes he laughs at. His tragedies he accepts. The happiest moments in his life, he values even more. But, more importantly, he looks back at his life and is happy about it. When he talks his voice is filled with a sincerity and contentedness that it puts you at ease. I just sit, listen, and appreciate. Yet he is humble too.
"Aw Gabe, don't listen to this old fudy dudy," he says.
I want to be just like him in my old age. I want to be able took look a back at my life and say, "You know what? I sure have had a great life."
For my grandfather, I suppose he believes that everything does happen for a reason, it just takes time to realize it. There is a quote that alway reminds me of this. I got it out of John Steinbeck's "East of Eden," probably my favorite book from my one of my favorite authors.
"One day we'll sit and you'll lay it out on the table, neat like a solitaire deck, but now - why, you can't find all the cards."
I guess that's why we don't understand why things happen to us.
We don't have all the cards.
3 comments:
that's a great quote Gabe.
Both my grandfathers have passed on now, but I was closest to my grandpa on my dad's side. He lived to be 94 years old and passed away about 5 years ago. I really miss him, I got from him my love of sports, he used to love baseball but I was always amazed at the fact he knew and loved every single sport including the NFL and even the obscure ones like tennis. I think my fondest memories of him will be watching games with him and having him tell me about the old timers and what things were like in the 50s. Every April 14 now I try to make it out to a baseball game to keep his memory alive. I hope he's having a blast with Joe Dimaggio and Babe Ruth up there.
Enjoy your time with your grandfather, grandparents are wonderful to have and learn from.
Congratulations on your blog award as well, it's well deserved.
My grandfather watches sports also but baseball is his specialty. He can go on forever about the old time great baseball players. Yet what's sad is that he doesn't watch baseball no more. He says the game has changed too much. I think he is right. It become too much of a business.
i never knew my grandfather... he passed long before i was born -- your fortunate to have time with him... i wish i knew mine.... i have no photographs of him at all.. can you believe that?
good entry here... kept me pondering.
Post a Comment