Fixing the Gates

As a young boy, I always loved going over to my Grandpa Bud's house. He and Grandma Girl (we called her that because we couldn't pronounce the name Verle) lived out in the country and had a barn and walnut orchards that we used to play in. But the one thing that I always loved was that Grandpa was always tinkering with some sort of gadget that wasn't working. He would be all dressed up in his grubby work clothes, hands covered in grease, thinking about how to fix the problem at hand. To this day, I still can't think of a time when he wasn't able to fix something. He was unstoppable. No broken part or engine would stand in his way from having a well running, working machine. And he would take any moment he could to explain what he was doing and how "with a little elbow grease" things would get done and taken care of.

Last night, my Grandpa Bud passed away. I know that this is a sad moment for all of us in the family, but I have chosen to take this time to reflect on how awesome he was. He was a strong willed man. He served his country well and in the process met and married the woman he loved till the day that he died. He knew how to work hard and be productive and we all loved him for it. He was a teacher to any listening ear (especially when it came to anything on the farm), and was always encouraging in his own gruff manner. Best of all, he was a man of God who shared the good news of Jesus all around the world. Even though I really miss him and always will, I can't help but think of what my dad said to me as he shared the news of grandpa's death. "He's fixing the gates and getting them ready for us in the future." I can picture him now, swinging the gates to see if they are level, listening intently to make sure they don't squeak. Personally, I just can't wait to see him when we get there.

Below is my favorite picture of the two of us together. Me sitting on the old white fence, almost a young man with an ear-to-ear smile on my face. The orange tree with the oranges that made the best fresh squeezed orange juice in the background. And him, looking at me with that grin, probably thinking to himself what a crazy grandson I was. But most important, both of us totally happy to be spending time together.

Grandpa and Me - 1993