Grandfathers

Looking back on my life, there are four men who have impacted me the most; my four grandfathers. One adopted, three biological, all equally important and equally loved. I'll begin with my oldest, and now deceased grandfather; we'll call him Grandpa LeRoy.

Grandpa LeRoy taught me to appreciate the small things in life, and to love books. He had so many books in his house, and I'm sure he read all of them. He taught me that family is important, and that love lasts forever. I miss him so much, and I miss him more now that he has a great great granddaughter, but I know that he'll live on in memory because when one remembers someone, they never truly die. That's probably the most important thing that he taught me; you never die if you're remembered.

We'll move onto the second grandfather, we'll call him Grandpa John. Grandpa John taught me to love nature, and how to laugh loud and long. He showed me that there is so much natural beauty to be found if you just look for it. When I was old enough, I had a fishing pole in one hand and a net in the other. Either for catching fish, butterflies, frogs, or crawfish, my childhood was always one adventure after another with Grandpa John. Also, in addition to my love of nature, is my love of laughter. The wittiest person I know is my Grandpa John, and I don't think I'll ever meet anyone funnier than him.

Now, we get to Grandpa Rob. Grandpa Rob taught me that sometimes you don't have to say anything. Ever since I was a child, I've known him as the strong, silent type. Because of this, I learnt that love can be shown through actions and other means, not just through words. When he does speak, it's always something important, or to ask a question. I appreciate the time that I have with him, and I need to do two things; 1) show that I appreciate he and my grandmother mor often, and 2) pay them more visits or give them more phone calls. Grandpa Rob is the kind of man that I want to be more like, granted, I want to be more like all of my grandfathers.

Finally, we get to Grandfather Viking. I call him Grandfather Viking, because of his love for the Norse legends, and the history of Vikings in general. Grandfather Viking taught me that I shouldn't be afraid to converse about the things that interest me, and has also contributed to my love of "old-timey" music. From witchcraft trials to the bands I like, from the movies we've watched on Netflix, to our opinions on just about anything and everything, we always have something to talk about and never get bored. There's so much to learn from him about just about anything, that it blows my mind. To be completely honest, if I need to know something about history, I go to him first.

In conclusion, there is so much that these four men have taught me, and there is so much that they have in common even though all of them are different. They all are tough, loving, kind, and equally special to me. I want to learn how to be silent and strong like Grandpa Rob; to be resourceful and witty like my Grandpa John, and knowledgeable and thrifty like Grandfather Viking. Now that I have a daughter of my own, and they have a great granddaughter, I hope they leave a lasting impact on her as they have on me. "One of the most powerful handclasps is that of a new grandbaby around the finger of a grandfather."-Joy Hargrove.