All the Things

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All The Things

Grandma told me to be mindful. She used to tell me that when I was a kid. What exactly that meant did not completely become clear to me, until after she was gone. I was not mindful at all. I missed a load of things I regret.

So the lesson is that mindful, combats and even wins most of the time, against regret. That is a great lesson grandma. You have made me better in life, in ways that just keep surprising me.

Grandma was also watchful. She smoked her cigarette, looked out the kitchen window like a hawk contemplating breakfast, and guarded the door. Not for bad things so much but for company. That way she could quick, get the coffee on. If there were not enough beans in the pot, she could whip out cornbread like no body’s business. Be watchful, was being prepared and never caught off guard.

These were important points later in my hostess skill abilities. My daughter and I won first place for corn bread at the school fair. It is perhaps the proudest piece of paper, now framed and placed with care in our kitchen My grandmother would have been tickled pink. Her lessons keep moving to my daughter now.

Grandpa said often, to watch for small things. I went into his garden every day when I was little. That is where we found the most, “small things” at that time in my life. It was not until later that I found, small things are everywhere. He, my incredible wise grandfather, meant to change the way I looked at life, and he succeeded.

My lesson I carry forward, small things are important. Not so much to you or I, but often they come along, like the sprinkles on a donut. You can live without them if you have too, but that is not really living at all. Grandpa was a brilliant man, that never made it past third grade. He picked cotton, and later drove a big truck to make the roads of Arizona, better for everyone.

Our grandparents and those that take their places are important. They give us things we have no idea we are receiving until they are needed, and the answer is right there… for next generation.

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