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!"