My Hero!

There is one experience that crosses my mind when I think of Grandpa.

When I was 14 years old Grandpa and I where down at the barn, all alone. There was a big pile of wood right in middle the barn. The pile blocked the alley and made it hard to move anything in or out. Grandpa said he wanted to get it out of the way… So, we started to work. He pulled the deer skin gloves out of his pocket and slipped them on his worn, callused, wrinkled hands. We moved the wood outside and added it to another pile close to the fence line. After working for what seemed like forever the pile looked as if it had been untouched. Soon, my muscles started to ache and my mind started to wonder. My curiosity took over and in no time at all I found myself at the other end of the barn looking in one of the stalls. Just as I dipped out of sight I heard Grandpa shout my name. "Koltn!" he said, in the way only Grandpa could. “You get over here and help your Grandpa!” I sheepishly made my way back to the pile. The next few moments will be cherished in my heart forever. As I returned and started back to work, Grandpa recounted some of the stories from his past. “Wooo-whee,” he exclaimed with that Grandpa tone as he remembered the anger of his mother when he came home from school with a ripped shirt. I listened more than I talked for some time as he continued to retell the life lessons he had learned. He talked about how wonderful Grandma is and how pretty she has been since the first time he met her. He seemed to teach me about all the important things in life without even trying. He spoke of life in Pomerene, cutting hair, and fishing with Carl. After a few stories the stack of wood seemed to disappear. As I grabbed the last few pieces of wood he grabbed a flathead shovel and scooped up a few small wood chips off of the floor. As I looked at the empty space that the giant wood pile was in Grandpa whistled off of the front of his teeth and said in the way only Grandpa could, “Looks good son.” He then taught me a lesson I will never forget. He said, “Koltn, if I had to give you one piece of advice to remember it would have to be to work. Don’t you stop half way through a job. Once you start something, you better finish it; and finish it right the first time. When you have a line of rocks that need to be moved, you start with the biggest one, farthest down the line, and don’t you quit till you’re through with the last one. When you could do something to make someone’s life easier, you do it. And don’t you forget, your Dad is a good man! You remember all that son and you’ll be alright.” That moment standing at the barn door will forever inspire me to do my best until the job is through. That lesson wasn’t just taught through words but through his lifelong example. Richard Grant Rogers changed the lives of all those around him. He brought a special light and love to anyone he talked with. He is a great man. Love you Grandpa!

~Koltn J. Rogers