My Hero's Birthday

   I find it odd that people call their spouse or boy-girlfriend a "significant other," because the only person that I can claim as significant in my lifetime was my grandfather. My grandfather was my hero, because I felt safe when I was with him, because he loved me, and because he played a big part in my social development.

  Whenever I think of  Grandfather, I picture myself with him, watching him milk the goats and having the goats take him out to pasture. I say that, because he did not weigh very much, so the goats would drag him behind them as he tried to hold on to the reins. Then, he would sit down and watch over them as they ate, and I would run in the meadow, catching butterflies and fireflies.

                

Grandfather was a double agent in the Mexican Revolution. He never went to school, but a captain taught him how to read when he was a youth in the military. The only book my grandfather ever owned was the Bible, and no matter how tired he was, he would always read the Bible daily.

My grandfather was a humble, simple man of simple means. He did not have much, and he never had a steady job, but we never went hungry.

In the summers, I would go with him to pick cotton in the fields. He was the one who taught me about hard work, and it was my grandfather who taught me about money. I earned my first paycheck, working in the cotton fields, when I was only six years old.

It surprises me to know that Grandfather never went to school, because he was a very wise man. Sometimes, I wonder what his father must have been like. How did Grandfather learn so much about survival?  

Grandfather knew a lot about plants. Everywhere he went, he was like Johnny Appleseed. The greatest barrier between us is that I did not speak Spanish as a child, and my mother did not want us to be bothering our grandparents, so it was sometimes hard to escape.

I think it would surprise him when I would show up, because there I was~ a girl ~ and I was not in the kitchen with Grandmother. I was more interested in the things that Grandfather did than the boys were. Even though I was very quiet, and we didn't speak the same language, he grew to love me, and I believe that I was his favorite, because even though I was a child, I was very mature and disciplined and interested in the same things that he was. The boys would just take off by themselves and play in the trees, but whenever I could, I would be with Grandfather.

I felt safe when I was with Grandfather, because unlike my other male relatives, Grandfather never thought about molesting me. I thought it was unusual that he never tried to touch me. I thought all men and boys were like that, but Grandfather was not.

Grandfather never kissed me or hugged me when I was a little girl. It wasn't until I was a grown up lady with children of my own that he finally kissed me on the cheek. I miss that. Oh, how I miss him. I wish he was here today so that I could hold him and tell him how much I love him. I miss you, Grandfather.

We did not live in the country, and I do not think you could call what he had a little farm, but besides the goats and chickens, Grandfather had pigeons, a peacock, and a pig. He had a beautiful garden of full of vegetables and herbs and lots of fruit trees. He also had bees for honey.

We never ate the goats. He would sell them for money so that he could buy the things that he could not grow with his hands. When there was no work, he would go fishing or cast a net and bring home fish or turtle or whatever God provided. Sometimes, my cousin would dive for clams in the canal, and sometimes, my cousins and I would go into the woods and bring back cactus and chile pequin. Oh, so good.

                     

Growing up, what we ate was mostly vegetarian, plus chicken once a week, and sometimes, fish.

It was my mother who introduced me to hamburger meat and cheese, but I cannot remember a time when my grandfather ever ate hamburger meat. Whenever we would go out to eat, he would want to eat seafood. Perhaps that is where I get it from, because I love seafood.

My life is from humble beginnings. My mother, my brother, and I lived in a little frame house next door to Grandfather's home. As a child, I washed clothes with a washboard, and I washed dishes outside. We did not have running water or inside plumbing or a heater to keep warm in the winter. We didn't even have our own outhouse. We had to share Grandfather's. And yet, we were always clean and pressed, and we never knew that we were poor...

It is good to remember Grandfather today. It is good to remember my humble beginnings. It is good to remember the simple things that Grandfather taught me:

1). Never give up.

2). Be prepared.

3). God helps those who help themselves. 

4). Be appreciative of what you have and take care of it.

5). Peace and tranquility can be as simple as celebrating the beauty and wonder of nature.

6). When spending your money, focus on three things: a roof over your head, food on the table, and clothes on your back.

7). Always have a little money stashed away from other people's eyes.

8). Honor is everything.

9). Be of great courage.

10). Trust in the Lord.

I do not care for scales because they are not accurate, but I am estimating my weight at 175. That is a nine-pound weightloss from 184 to 175.