corner view~wisdom from an elder

My grandfather was a kindhearted, happy, giving man that everyone loved.  He was always patient and caring with all people he interacted with, and I never saw him lose his temper.  I was blessed to spend a lot of quality time with him as a child.  What I remember about him most was that he was always laughing and making jokes.  He had white hair when I knew him, but as a boy he had bright red, curly hair, "so thick you couldn't get a comb through it," he would always tell me.  I think he related to me because I too have red hair.

He played the trumpet, often accompanying my grandmother while she played the piano.  

Grandpa, as we called him, made friends with everyone.  He was forever helping people in need, and loved hard work.  Many a tree was trimmed, many a driveway plowed, many a field mowed due to his generous spirit.  He lived in the country in a rural neighborhood, and took it upon himself to take care of all of the open space in this neighborhood.  In the winter he would take us into the woods and we would pick ground pine that he would make into beautiful wreaths.  In the summer we picked wild berries for hours, our arms and legs covered to protect us from the prickers.  Each summer I spent a week by myself with him and my grandmother, and after supper every night we would take a walk.  We would be out for an hour or two, until twilight, as so many neighbors would come to say hello to their neighbor, "Bob."  He was the most popular person in the neighborhood.

"Look at this girl turn a cartwheel," he used to brag.  Sometimes he even asked me to do it in stores, or parking lots.  I was always happy to oblige.

Grandpa didn't discriminate much with friends, and some of them were more colorful than others.  He had a knack for making friends with people with the strangest names.

Flick Haley
Mike Ice
Uni Gagen
Clarence Kinyon
Timothy Splitfinger
Turd Willager
Ferman Sweetapple

The wisdom he imparted was by example.  However he did have a few classic sayings that we heard many times growing up.

*Money is like manure.  It's no good unless you spread it around.
*It's good to get together with family for awhile and have happy times.  It doesn't cost anything to laugh.
*A bottle of beer is okay once in awhile but you don't have to drink the whole case.
*If you listen to your mother you'll be all right.  If you don't you won't.
*Do you live to eat, or eat to live?
*That woman hates beer more than the devil hates holy water.
*It doesn't cost anything to be nice.

The most important lesson he taught me was to be happy and enjoy life.

Thank you Jane, for giving me the opportunity to choose this week's corner view.  For more wisdom from elders all over the world, go to the sidebar here.

I want to welcome my other daughter, Annabel, to corner view.  She's 11. Check out her post today.

Also please check back this Thursday, as I will be doing a surprise giveaway.  My first.