And now it comes to it: The big finale, as it were, after a series of sometimes humorous, sometimes rambling, occasionally pointless blogs between my third blogging anniversary and my 25th birthday. I admittedly had considered throwing this in sooner rather than later, but ultimately decided it’s more meaningful to end out with this one than to throw it in in the middle. Of the whole group, this one means most to me.
My grandfather’s name was Robert Avon Tjomsland. (Before you even consider any “Avon calling” jokes, keep in mind a) it’s my birthday, and b) I will end you. :-p) He was a great man, and a great example in my life. He was a devoted husband, loving father, and a wonderful grandfather. He passed away on April 17th, 1998, one week before my 15th birthday, my freshman year of high school. I still remember my parents coming to pick me up at school the day he went in to the hospital. He’d had heart surgery after a heart attack, and a cough that the doctors had said was a normal part of recovery turned out to be pneumonia. For any who know my inherent distrust of hospitals, now you know why: At 14 years old, I got to watch my grandfather pass as a result of someone screwing up (or at least, that was my mindset at the time).
Now older and wiser, I’ve come to understand that it was his time, whether I wanted to admit it at the time or not. Whether by pneumonia or a car accident, if God was going to call grandpa home, he’d do it however he pleased. But another perk in being older is I can look back on and cherish the life lessons my grandpa taught me while he was alive. Today, on my 25th birthday, I’d like to share a few.
1) If you want something, work hard for it – My grandfather was a child of the Depression. Everything he had later in life was a result of how hard he’d worked earlier in life. My grandfather worked with the CCC in his young adult years, went on to work construction most of his life. He paid his bills on time, he paid cash for everything. He even built a beautiful house out in Hebo, Oregon (which is the place I knew as a child). And after his heart attack, when he and my grandma decided to move closer to town, he paid cash for their new home, too. Admittedly, this is a lesson I wish I really would’ve grasped earlier in life, but having had that example at all is, in this day and age, rare. My generation tends to want everything handed to them on a silver platter. That’s why we’re into the “get rich quick” schemes, we want everything our parents had without any of the work it took for them to get it. And what’s sad is, more and more parents are giving in and giving it to them. Then we wonder why our kids are lazy. Gee, I wonder…
2) Don’t save things unless they’re useful. – My grandfather had an amazing shop when I was a kid. He had power tools, hand tools, nuts, bolts, screws, nails, everything you can imagine. If you ever needed a nut or bolt, Grandpa was the man, chances are he’d have it.
3) Don’t save the useful things unless you plan on using them. – To this day, my grandmother still has baby food jars of nuts, bolts, screws, and the like in her garage. She’ll never be wanting for any of them, but I think we could take all the walls off of the place and put it back together just with the stuff she has there.
4) Love your wife. – My grandparents were married fairly young, but they remained married. In fact, I don’t think there was ever a doubt in my grandmother’s mind that grandpa loved her. When he was older, at doctors appointments and whatnot he’d flirt with the nurses, but grandma didn’t mind; she knew he only had eyes for her. That’s another thing increasingly rare in todays culture: husbands actually telling their wives they love them. I’m no marriage expert (being, after all, unmarried), but guys, how often do you tell your wife you love her? If you haven’t said it since you got married, do yourself a favor: Go do it, right now. Seriously, step away from the blog, find your wife, give her a hug and a passionate, “I feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks” kiss, and tell her you love her. Then, and only then, do I give you permission to finish this blog. Go on, I’m not going anywhere. Do it. NOW.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way…
5) Take care of your family, even when it’s hard. – My family, for those who aren’t aware, is far from perfect. We don’t really define the dysfunctional family, but we certainly have had our moments (and will probably continue to do so). Grandpa was the proverbial glue that held the family close, and I think it was because of this: No matter how stupid the things you did, grandpa didn’t hold it against you. Even if he told you it was a bad idea, even if he warned you not to do it and you ignored it, grandpa wouldn’t say I told you so, he’d accept you back just as if you hadn’t done anything. Now, mind you, I think he thumped me once or twice when I was younger, but it was a loving admonishment, he got it over with and got on with it.
6) Be a servant in whatever you’re doing. – I think of all of the lessons I learned from grandpa, I picked up on this one earliest, even if I didn’t fully understand it at the time. If you asked my grandpa for help with something, he would be glad to help. I think this example is what got me holding doors for people at a young age (just ask my mother: On a cub scout visit to mentor graphics, while all the other kids were running ahead, I held the doors for the parents. True story. =)
Am I always the man grandpa was? Hardly. So many of the lessons I learned were kind of late-breaking revelations. But I hope someday, after a long, full life, that I can have my grandkids writing about the lessons they learned from me that I’ve passed on from him. I hope I’m making you proud, Grandpa.
Adios for now, kids, we’ll see you later.
~Andrew =)
Tags: Humor, Personal by Andrew Laine
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