Our Little Corner

Oct. 9, 2008

Memories of My Grandpa

Today's been one of those days. Actually this whole week has been one of those weeks. The kids and I have been sick with colds and coughs....nothing terrible, just enough to bug us and keep us up at night. The washing machine broke AGAIN and once again we find ourselves waiting on parts. (When will GE just admit that our machine is a dud and we need a brand new one?) We went to the dentist yesterday and found out that Baylee has a traumatized molar. I've been worried about this tooth for awhile now because it's discolored. I didn't know what to think, though, since it didn't seem to bother her at all. Come to find out it was hurt at some point in its development, whether by something systemic like a high fever or by being bumped really hard. We'll probably never know what went wrong, but now it's going to need a filling to strengthen it and probably more work down the road as it grows.

Despite that stuff, life is good. Today Baylee finally finished memorizing the 23rd Psalm, and listening to her say it made me realize what a wonderful family I've grown up in. Specifically, listening to Baylee say those verses brought to mind my grandpa and the legacy he left all his grandchildren. My grandpa was the pastor of a small country church and a pig farmer. He loved studying the Bible, working outdoors, swimming, singing, and talking to people about what Christ did for them on the cross. To this day I can't hear someone say "Amen!" in a church service, I can't listen to old hymns sung passionately, and I can't watch children memorize long passages of scripture without thinking of him.

Which brings me to why he was on my mind this morning. He used to pay us grandkids to do things for him. I remember one time he had my brother, my cousin, and me working our tails off all day in the barn because he said he'd pay us. After hours of sweaty labor doing who knows what anymore, he gave us each a dollar and told us to buy ourselves an ice cream cone. We weren't that old at the time, be we were old enough to know grandpa was seriously behind the inflation curve! It was a different story, however, if one of his grandkids learned a portion of the Bible by heart. Then he was Mr. Moneybags. One time he told me he'd give me $50 if I'd learn a chapter of Romans. You better believe I did it!

He would've loved seeing Baylee say the 23rd Psalm. He would've listened in rapt attention, then said, "Well, my dear girl, that deserves a reward!" and he would've reached into his pocket for her. He was a man with priorities.

I miss him.

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Sue

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About Me

I'm Sue and I'm happily married to my best friend in the world, Mike. We have three children: Zach (13), Drew (10), and Baylee (7). This blog will be about our homeschooling experiences and just life in general.