scattered thoughts

i was thinking of my Gramp, today being what would have been his birthday & all. just traveling through the scattered & random memories that i have filed away in my mind. there are all these little details i recall. not just the big things that defined him, but the things that made him who he was.

how he liked popcorn made in a popper in the stove top. and popcorn balls. and apples. and my Gram's bacon & lettuce salad.

how he drove that old Dodge pick-up truck that he got 3 months before i was born & never traded it in.

the way he knew just how to tend his gardens & orchard. he was outside as the sun came up every morning, spring through fall. and chomped at the bit all winter long, aching to get back in the dirt. and he knew the name of every single type of fruit & vegetable he grew--which tomoatoes were "Beefsteak" & whoch were "Sunglow" & which were "Super Sonic".

his red, white and black plaid coat with the zipper that he wore. and his cap.

how he called my Gram, "Ma" or "my sweetheart". the way he would hold her hand when they rode in the car together. and how he would kneel by her side by their bed every night to say The Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm.

his hearty laugh. man he had the best laugh...and a twinkle in his eye.

how he spoke so little but when he did, you listened. and he lived by the belief that actions speak louder than words. how everything he did spoke volumes of the love he had for his God, his family, his country and his life.

all these thoughts...and so many more...as i remember the man he was & how unbelievably blessed i was to have him in my life.