It just doesn't seem that long ago. I remember going to grandma & grandpa's house on Sunday after church. It seems like we went every Sunday. We took our Hotwheels, Matchbox cars or army men to play with. Dinner at grandmas was always incredible although I didn't fully appreciate it until I got older. The meat usually came from the farm, the vegetable were either fresh or canned and many times dessert was a cobbler with whatever fruit was in season. Grandma made world famous strawberry preserves and her pickles were to die for, as they say. I could go on, but I think you got the point.
Spending the night on the farm was always exciting. One of the things I remember most was how dark and how quiet it was. Now when I say quiet I don't mean dead quiet but a quietness of the noise of man. In the evening, there were cicadas that at times was deafening. But now I think of it as a sweet sound. It's one of the sounds of my childhood; one of those sounds that take me back to a simpler time. The sounds of bullfrogs, crickets and an occasional squeal from a hog or cluck from a chicken could be heard. They were normal farm sounds. We woke up to the crow of a rooster in the morning.
Now the darkness of the farm was the darkness many experience first while camping. On the farm you could see the stars. It was incredible. The space program was in full swing in my youth. I remember looking up to those stars and moon and being amazed. There was a God; there was no doubt about it. To this day, when I experience that kind of darkness and the sounds of nature, I'm taken back to one of those nights on the farm.
Staying the night with grandma & grandpa meant getting up early. I'm not sure why this mattered when we were small. But we got up early because grandpa did. Many times I woke up while grandpa cooked breakfast. It must have been no more than five in the morning. I remember waking up wondering why grandpa was cooking in the middle of the night. The breakfast table was so full of food there was no where to eat. There was sausage, eggs, cereal, fruit and toast nearly every morning. Sometimes there was oatmeal, pancakes and other things. I still love breakfast today. When we got older we got to go with grandpa to do chores. The 'chores' were when you fed and watered the hogs. I remember filling five gallon buckets of water and trying to get them to the gate without getting soaked. I got wet many times, grandpa laughed. Other chores were picking up eggs at the chicken coop. I remember being a little scared, but also thrilled at picking up the eggs. Chores never stopped. There was always so much to do.
Grandpa was sometimes a jokester. As we got older, we learned never to turn our head away from our food, desert or birthday cake when grandpa was around. He loved to laugh and have fun. He thought it was funny when we stepped in something in the hog lot. Little brother Tim had a weak stomach and he would start gagging. Grandpa laughed harder and we joined him.
Grandpa was also serious at times. He was serious about work. He had rules. I don't ever remember my grandpa spanking or swatting me but I knew I never wanted to cross him or disappoint him.
I remember outhouses, awesome gardens, corn pickers, combines and cutting hogs. I remember butchering, rendering lard and making cracklings. I remember grandpa warning us not to eat too many cracklings because they'd give you the green apple trots (you youngsters can email me and I'll explain that one). I remember driving the tractor even though my feet didn't touch the pedals and riding horses when I was too short to get on.
One of the things I remember most was that grandpa and grandma were at church on Sundays. Grandpa was an elder. Nearly every Sunday he was dressed in a suit and he stood before church with the other older men. They took up the offering, prayed and gave out the communion. Grandma was also always active in the church. I particularly remember her being involved in the church bazaar. These, along with the chicken fry, were two of the biggest events at the church and around town.
These memories mean a lot to me but I also realize they probably don't mean all that much to you. Usually when you talk about these things someone else will begin to remember things about their childhood also. I hope something sparks a memory of your youth. But I have another reason to bring it up.
I could talk about grandpa and grandma all day long. The relationship my brothers and I had with them was special. Now I find that someone calls me grandpa. I think the first time it happened was at church. I vaguely heard it and did a double take. Once I recovered from the initial shock, I decided I liked it.
Elijah calls me grandpa. Kris & Lindsey will be getting married in May. Elijah is Lindsey's son. Eli calls Kris his daddy and has quickly adopted Bev and me as grandparents. We couldn't be happier.
But that label of 'grandpa' brings to me the flood of memories I started this article with. It's a great responsibility. What will Eli remember about me when he is my age? What can I show him that will help him later in life? My grandpa and grandma showed me a faith and stability; every day they went to work around the farm. They didn't need fancy stuff or long vacations. They knew contentment and happiness from the simple things in life. Bev & I have always tried to maintain that in our life.
I think I could do nothing better than steal Eli's plate when he's not looking and laugh with him. I chase him, he chases me. We laugh together, but we are serious also. He sees grandpa at his desk; it's the first place he looks for me. I hope he remembers grandpa reading his bible. I hope he sees grandpa pray in front of the church and knows that it's the right thing to do.
Since he calls me grandpa and Bev, grandma, I can only hope we live up to the standard that was set by my grandpa and grandma. I remember faith, contentment and hard work. I hope he remembers that about us.
Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God………….Ecclesiastes 2:24
Now godliness with contentment is great gain….. 1 Timothy 6:6
Just thinking.
Doug
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