It Could Happen to You!

 

     Growing up in The Redmond House with my Grandparents was more then a blessing. I will play that phrase on repeat as much as I feel the need to through out my adult life. I didn't know it at the time but the lessons that I would be using years later were all things they seemed to teach me on the sly because if I knew back then I was learning something, I surely would have set the "lessons" out.

     My Grandfather was the most wonderful man. He was kinder then the bees to the rose petals and more gentle then any old grizzly bear. He was the kind of man that you had no trouble believing he was a hero. The kind they talk of when they say "When God made "you/him" he broke the mold." I know there were more times then I could count that I drove him to the brink of insanity yet he never let on that I was just 2 hands away from being choked out on many occasions. 

     Every Sunday you could catch him dancing down the hall in his white underwear, smelling of Old Spice and singing the same song ... "The beer I had for breakfast wasn't good so I had one more for dessert." Thinking back, even on the days that I washed the car with the windows down or took 73 pictures of my dog peeing on a tree (that cost a pretty penny to develope) he seemed less then angry. He sat through every slide that I held up of Duke, just kind of smiling and nodding along. After the "slide show" was over he went to the local store and bought me a projector so it would be easier to see the photographs. 
     It would never be out of place to be watching him test drive my bike to make sure it was safe for me to ride on even though I did have quite a few wrecks in my day. Thanks Ric. Thanks Joe & Genzer. Thanks old boat for being stopped in the road. Good times! Pain. But good times.

     My Grandfather never seemed to be discouraged and if he was I sure never seen it. I only remember him getting mad 2x in my teenage years. Funny, it was never me he was mad at. 1 time I seen his head turn completely around, almost like he was Beetle-Juice or something even though that weird little guy wasn't around back then. I was having "problems" at my school. Let me tell you, My Grandfather marched in that place like he was the Platoon Leader in American's Army and when he left, he left behind no survivors. It was so awesome. The other time he was mad at himself. We were up cutting trees one Summer at the Farm. (The farm as My Grandmother called it was way up in the middle of no place, somewhere between Tiger & Cougar Mountain near Maple Valley. It was the place she was raised.) We would always go up there for our "needs." Picking berries for pies, making jam OR for cutting wood to get in for the Winter. On this day, that is just what we were doing. Well, the truck was near the bottom of the hill & Grandpa was with Grandma at the top. The fell a tree. I knew this because I was sitting on the back on the tailgate of our somewhat NEW truck when I heard the chain saw humming along with the ax keeping in tune. "Seriously?" I screamed. "How much longer? I have things to do and this heat is killing my make up!" My Grandpa was a sweetheart but also a no-nonsense kinda man. He told me about 3 more minutes. The harmony from the tools being used stopped, my Grandfather called down to put the tailgate up and get in the cab. I shoved it shut getting to right about the door handle when a huge chunk of the tree they were working on came bouncing down the hill and slammed right into the back of it. It hit then fell over like it was playing dead. It did however leave a huge dent in the bumper as well as the license plate frame. Both My Grandpa & Grandma flew down the hill, I think faster then The Sanderson Sisters could ever be transported on their "brooms" of choice. My Grandfather reached the scene of the attack, I knew by the look on his face ... I knew. It was me. It was my fault because I wanted to go home. I had better things to do then sit around being covered in tree shadows way up a dirt road someplace. Because really, who would enjoy my beauty way out there? No one! I grabbed my heart sure that I would be screamed at because if I would have just helped get the wood in that was going to keep me warm all Winter rather then complain that I wanted to go home that huge stump would have never been shoved hurling towards the truck and damaging something My Grandfather worked so hard for. He walked over to the truck. Surveyed the damage for a split second then came right to me to see if I was alright. "Ummmm huh?" He loved his truck that he so proudly just bought but he loved me more and somehow that is the joy he passed onto me.

     Everyday I wake up, I am so grateful that I am still here. 
I am so grateful my kids/grandkids are all healthy 'cept for wondering about Blazz & Saisha cuz only The Good Lord knows what those two are doing or experimenting with at any given time of the day or night. 
I am so grateful I have a roof over my head and pets to love. Two many pets but pets none the less. 
I am so grateful that Summers don't last forever and eventually Winter does come around.
     I am not so grateful though when I am doing Keto and all day I think about my one meal, what I am going to have & somehow out of the whole grocery store in what most people refer to as a kitchen, we have NO sauerkraut anywhere.
I am not so grateful that for the 1st time in 16 days since I started to eat this new way, when I decided I would treat myself a little and have a cup of Fresh Strawberries, sliced and covered in (4 teaspoons) of Sugar Free Whipping Cream just to find out the fluffy white stuff is frozen solid. How in the can? I don't know but anyways.
     I am so grateful though, through all the little bumps in the road I keep tripping over, I always stand right back up and take another step bigger then the last one.
I am so grateful that I had the time with My Grandfather that I did. The things he instilled in my brain and in my heart. Things like: his silly songs, his gentle nature and the gift to ALWAYS BELIEVE. Believe with everything you have in you. Believe in others (though somedays that is much harder then others) and to always Believe in yourself because someday your biggest cheerleader & fan just might not be around to do it for you.

                                                                                                                                             Kazz 💋