Lessons From a Boy Scout

My daughter, Emma, is a Junior Girl Scout this year.  With that comes all of the excitement of badge earning.  My Grandfather and Emma's Great Grandfather was an Eagle Scout and knows a thing or two about earning badges himself. When he learned that Emma was interested in earning a badge on rope tying, he was eager to help.  They spent much of the morning tying and retying knots as he patiently worked through each one Emma needed, and even a few she didn't.  I sat on the porch and watched them work and savored the moment.  

My Grandfather will be 91 this September and we don't know how many more years God will grant us to spend with him.  For this reason, each and every opportunity my girls have with him are true blessings.  Not many children have their Grandparents as a part of their daily lives in today's world, much less their Great Grandparents.  While I know they probably don't understand the significance of the impact he is having in their lives right now, my girls will grow to deeply appreciate this time spent with him.

I grew up with my Grandparents next door to me and now have the privilege of living next door to my Grandfather today.  When I was a little girl, he always had time for me.  No matter what he was doing, he would drop everything to play ball or build a go-cart or pick dandelions or ride me around on his shoulders.  Today he doesn't have as much to drop, but he is just as eager to work side by side with me and my girls.  Just the other day, the two of us worked for hours on my front porch shelling crowder peas.  We talked every now and then, but mostly we just shelled and enjoyed the fact that we had each other.