GRANDPA

He taught us useful, common sense things.
We could change a tire and jump- start a car before we could drive. From him we learned the difference between poison oak and poison ivy. We learned to love the thirty-three acres of woodland behind our trailer from the joyrides he gave us in a wagon hitched to the back of his tractor.
We learned how to shake hands, say "yes sir" and "yes ma'am.'

He showed us how to fish, how to find mushrooms, and how to appreciate the simple things. He enjoyed showing us off; Jon,. the track star, Shannon, the beauty queen, and Melissa, the singer.
We worked twice as hard for him, because we loved to see his chest puff up in pride.

He made sure the heat stayed on in the winter, and that we went to church every Sunday.
He mowed the lawn and fixed anything that needed fixing. He drove us where we needed to go, and took us home when it was all over.

As we got older, we took his simple gifts for granted. We moved away, moved on, and moved up in the world. We forgot to appreciate the little things.

He had been ill for many years, but he did not give in to it until the last of us had gone.
His job finished, he felt he could rest.
We gathered around his bedside for one last lesson. He held our hands, and without saying a word gave his strength over to us. We cried for the great loss, yet we celebrated the fact that his struggle was at last finished.

His great love of family cleansed our guilt for having forgotten his most important teachings.

It has been over a year since the man I called grandpa walked out of my life, but the pain is still there.
I am consoled, however, by the whisper of the wind the smell of freshly fallen rain and the memory of all the knowledge he gave so freely.