Opening Insights
Today marks 5 years since my grandpa passed away.
He had a heart of gold. Kind, gentle, funny as heck and he was a history wizard. He had a singing voice that would stop you in your tracks and a smile that would bring light to the darkest days.
Informational Insights
I was young when he was around a lot. As I got older my own schedule of work, school and friends created a longer gap in which I saw him. Being an adolescent and self-centered, I didn’t have the maturity to really appreciate people, and certainly not him. Come to think about it, it wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I learned how to value anything.
As my growth continued, so did my appreciation of him. On a visit to New York several years ago I shared with him about the journey I was on… the people I was working with, our collective passions, my dreams and goals, my many discoveries of self, others and the world.
Even though he didn’t understand all my decisions, he didn’t tear me down. He lifted me up. My grandpa told me he knew I’d do great things. He pictured me standing at a podium talking to many. I’ve held the figurative nature of his words close to my heart all these years. True or not they give me hope. True or not they were his perspective of me.
What I know today is that all I can be is the change that I want to see in the world. Each day I decide to move forward. There is so much for me to learn. There is so much for me to let go of. There is so much for me to discover. With life’s ups and downs and the challenges that I face, I call on him often. I call on his strength and guidance.
A few years ago my mother found a poem while going through his belongings that he had written in high school. I asked her to read it to me. She did… and I cried. I asked for a copy, as it confirmed in me the man I knew my grandpa to be, even when I was too self-centered to see it.
This blog is my gift to him…. to publish his words and honor his legacy. As I read between the lines, I get to discover even more the man I called grandpa… a man of great insight, integrity, truth and love.
Possibilities for Consideration
Take a moment and examine…
- As you reviewed the material above, what stood out to you?
- What is the potential impact, economically and/or socially?
- What action is needed to stop or support this idea?
- You may want to consider whether you:
- want to be aware of,
- should become supportive of,
- would want to be active in this topic?
Add Your Insight
I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Being willing is not enough; we must do.
LEONARDO DA VINCI