It’s amazing how pivotal people in our lives can shape our view of the world, have the power to influence us greatly–good or bad, and give us inspiration and drive. Both of my grandfathers have left a lasting impression on me. My paternal grandfather passed away a little over a year ago. He would have been 91 this year. He started a flooring business in 1963 and I saw how well it served his family and children. I noticed the hard work and grit my grandfather and Dad both had and I also noticed the flexibility that self-employment provides. My Dad worked a lot from home for the business my grandfather founded and the freedom that this provided him I valued and perceived as a positive. I did not want to be one to “punch a time clock” or go to work and get my time in. I don’t do well with rigid schedules or rules that don’t align with my values. There must have been something in our blood that drew us to entrepreneurship. For one thing, the unknown is exciting albeit scary.
There is something beautiful and deeply motivating about building something from the ground up. Maybe that’s why I find our flourishing mealworm farm so satisfying! Seeing if a new beetle emerged, searching for little wiggly baby worms slightly moving in their bedding, and looking earnestly for new pupas to separate. The art of growing something with our own hands has been somewhat lost in our modern age. But plenty of people, especially young people I find, are going back to homesteading tasks like my sisters. They are making their own bread and growing their own spices and vegetables. Sometimes less is more. This is something my maternal grandfather taught me.
My Papa, affectionately known as “Mr. Charles” by so many, was an educator and principal for the majority of his working years. He obtained a master’s degree in the 1950s which was no small feat at the time. I remember him telling me a story about him taking a bus from Washington Parish to Tulane in New Orleans and how his day would start at 3 or 4am. Virtual classes were definitely not a thing back then! He became the principal of one of the first schools to integrate in Mississippi and actually went to Court testifying on behalf of a young African American student. He particularly enjoyed teaching History. Even his mother taught and took a bus to teach at a one room schoolhouse. Education is in our family history too. Education & entrepreneurship runs deep in our family lineage. I wish I could have shown Pawsey my business website…I know he’d be so proud and would tell me affectionately, “keep at it, keep doing what you are doing my darling Clementine.”
Yesterday, I went to Community Christian Concern to donate some items and went in to look around there thrift store. I started chatting with a worker there and somehow, it came up that my grandfather used to volunteer there. She just lit up when I said he was my grandfather. “Oh, Mr. Charles! What a sweet man!” I hope at the end of my life that will be my legacy. That people will mostly remember me with love and joy. All the money, riches, and fame can’t buy the happiness that some people put in your heart. I asked my Papa, “What was your greatest accomplishment?” Despite his successful career in the military and in education, he said, “my family, my children.” What a wise owl. I’ve never known him to be perturbed by too much. He always seemed calm and even keel. I was helping him eat today at the skilled nursing facility. I know his days are numbered but I have such peace in my heart knowing that I’ve been able to spend so much quality time with him. He was a constant source of quiet strength in my life and still is. Things are different now. The tables have surely turned. He’s no longer reminding me to be home by curfew. I’m telling him to remember to take double swallows and tuck his chin as I feed him pureed foods. I’m not reaching for his hand; he’s reaching for mine.
Visiting with my grandpa today gave me more perspective than most times. Maybe because I know now more than ever that the end is near. So, I’m going to bask in the sunshine for just a little while. That is a little slice of heaven that many residents in hospitals or nursing homes simply don’t get. Since the time changed, I better get out there. The whole world is waiting. Will you join me?
