Sitting on the porch, his foot propped on a stool.
He said, “Don’t wait for anyone to do anything for you”
Whetstone, whittling knife and a block of wood were his tools
I sat at his feet, happy in Grandpa’s school.
Don’t wait for anyone to do anything for you.
If you don’t know how, learn!
Sitting at his feet, I was attending Grandpa’s school.
He spat on the whetstone and laid the blade in turn.
Learn then you’ll know -
Swiping, to and fro, removing imperfections.
He spat on the whetstone and laid the blade just so,
smoothing away all the rough edges.
No more imperfections,
he takes knife in hand -
a smooth blade, no rough edges,
chipping away at the wood as he planned.
He takes his knife in hand
like he lived his life -
Chipping away as he planned,
sculpting his wood and his life by design.
I have such fond memories of my grandpa. I followed him everywhere and watched everything he did. I learned to play checkers and dominoes. I was only 9 years old when he passed away, but he taught me so much. The lesson that I remember more than any other was, "Don’t wait for anyone to do anything for you. If you don’t know how, learn!"
