Journal of Sacred Work

   Most of the time, for most people, the first caregivers are parents. Grandparents teach caregiving as well. The impact of one grandfather on one family's life is beautifully illustrated in the words spoken by his grandchildren at the service following his passing. This lovely testimonial was forwarded to us by Edwin Loftin, Chief Nursing Officer at Florida's Parrish Medical Center. The grandfather referred to was Edwin's father who recently passed away. The writers are Edwin's children and their cousins.
   What do these words tell us about caregiving?

Pete:

One of the people
who have been the most influential in my life is my grandfather.  I can only wish I can become half the person he
was!  I have learned a lot from him
throughout my life.  He has gone through
many hard times that would have broken a lesser man, but always seemed to come
out of the situation unscathed and a better person for it.  His perseverance through hard times has left
an impression on me that will never dull with time.  The love that he and our Grandma shared was
the warmest, kindest love that we have ever seen and they shared that love with
all of us, never faltering.  We will
never forget or never lose the love they shared for us and for each other, a
love that all of us hope to portray in every second of our lives.

Sarah:

Papa showed us that the only way to live life is to just do
it! Just live! Be happy with yourself and be a friend to all those around you.
He told us what to do and he showed us how. His very actions showed us how to
act and who to be. We are better people because of his guidance. And now, I
know I want to be like him. I want to live life to the fullest like he did, be
reverent and humble in all our actions, listen to others and guide our friends
through the good times and the hard times. With Papa, anything is possible
because there simply are no limits. Period. He taught us that everyone has the
potential if you just believe in yourself. Papa believed in us. All of us all
the time, which, more than anything else, knowing you have someone so
incredible behind you, encouraging your steps in life, is such a wonderful
amazing feeling that has shaped us for the rest of our lives.  I love him dearly.

Lee: 

Grandpa always had a way of making us laugh, and not just
small chuckles that we kept inside, but laughing out loud at the dinner table
with our hands over our faces so that sweet tea did not come out of our mouths.
Whether it was his goofy expressions or his life stories, Grandpa knew what we
needed to hear when we needed to hear it. He gave us lessons from his heart,
from his own experiences and was an angel here on earth, guiding us. Without
him so very present in our lives, we would not be who we are today. We are
better people for having known him and we are so blessed to be his
grandchildren.

Ray:

Grandpa is the
reason why we are all where we are now. He taught and guided us more than we
can ever realize but it was not just through words that he did this, he also
taught through his actions. We all can agree grandpa was the most honest and
loving man we ever knew and will ever know. He will be with us forever no
matter what, guiding and protecting each and everyone. Grandpa did not only
tell us to go for what we want, what we dreamed but he lived it.  He never stopped living it and we see it
continuing in all of us.  We don’t know
how he did it, but Grandpa instilled a love, a passion, and inspiration for
everything we do.  He showed us that hard
work pays off, and during hard times you stand with those that you love.

Maggie:

He always had the
best ideas for us. I remember when we were younger and decided to jump out of
the barn.  We were attempting to get the
courage up to jump from the top of the first story onto the hard ground.  Papa pulled a large bag of hay out of the
barn, making the landing softer for us helping us to gain courage to jump from
the barn.  Papa always had a way of
fixing it, figuring it out, making the feat ahead not seem impossible.  Even acts as little as making a softer
landing for scared little grandkids jumping from a barn!  He always figured it out, he always did it
his own way and showed us that everything can be fixed with a little bit of
creativity, just don't get discouraged, because there is always a new stick to
be made into a cane, a bag of hay for the jump, a piece of bamboo for a flute
or a whistle, and always a way to get a tractor started on its most stubborn of
days.  I love Papa so much and he will
always be with me throughout my life.

Will:

I wish I could be half the man he was.  More than a man, he was my grandfather.  Always funny, always joking, always positive,
he always looked on the brighter side of things.  I remember the time I cut my pointer finger
in third grade.  I had stitches in my
finger and a cast over it.  I came back
to the farm and granddaddy was able to make me laugh by trying to get me to
point my crooked finger straight at the farm. 
Always there, always supportive. 
He lived a life full of principals. 
There are people who say you should do this, you should do that.  He didn’t say anything, he did it.  He was there when I was born and I knew he
loved me to no end.  I miss him, but I
know he is in a better place.  I love him
with all my heart and always will.

Alex:

Driving over the farmland where for so long granddaddy
called home one comes to realize the enormous legacy of a man who can only be
described to the mind’s eye as a giant – a giant in soul, a giant in spirit, a
giant in mind.  He was a man who tinkered
and loved doing so.  He loved his
workshop and built much for us grandchildren there.  He loved and enjoyed puzzles.  He was a man who appreciated the art of
woodworking and nowhere is this more evidenced than on the walls and shelves of
our bedrooms.  A man of deep religious
faith, he loved his family, he loved his country, and he did well in passing
those values on to us.