Life Lessons Learned from Grandpa

Here's me and my kids with Grandpa
just over ten years ago. We went on a hike
and he showed us a petroglyph that he just
happened to know about in the area.
I swear, he knew everything!

Today as you read this blog post, I'll be on my way to my grandpa's funeral and we'll spend all day traveling to and from and being with family. I spoke at my grandma's funeral (which was just over six months ago) but this time, my brother gets a turn! He asked us for memories of my grandpa, specifically things we learned from him. I decided to make a simple bullet list and I enjoyed those so much I felt the need to share.

So here's what I learned from my grandpa, who spent his whole life on and Idaho farm... except when he was driving truck all across the country, or serving in WWII, or seeing the world!

• Work hard! The biggest thing I think about when I remember my grandpa, how hard he worked.
• "Read any good books lately?" This is what he's always say to me. I learned that, yeah, it's okay to read a lot.
• Take a nap if you need one. Word hard and rest hard!
• Eat your crusts, it'll make your hair curly! (I never believed him, though I always did want curly hair!) 
• If you see a road you've never been on before, take it and see where it leads. I think my grandpa knew and had driven on every road in the country. No joke.
• Being quiet is not a weakness, it's a strength. My grandpa had such a presence about him, but he was a really quiet guy.
• It's okay if the field burns up. It'll grow back greener the next year. There's a story behind this one. We were "helping" him burn weeds from the ditches and bam, it got out of control! Not sure who's fault it was, but it burned a whole field, then off through the sage brush, up and over and down a hill. The next summer, it was as green as good be.
• The animals always need feedin'. And who are they going to count on if it's not you?
• No matter how dirty you get, you can always get cleaned up and smellin' good. My grand got dirty, but he was the best smelling grandpa you'd ever met!
• Laugh a lot. When I think of him, it's his laugh that always comes to mind. I loved it.
• Steer clear of the cow pies. No explanation needed!

I could go on and on, but there's just a few things I'll remember about him. He was 94 years old and lived a long good life. We'll miss him, but we're happy he's moved on to the next phase.