Louis Green - aka GrandpaJuly 16, 1922 - August 10, 2009Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. - Dr. Seuss
I spent some time thinking about what Grandpa Green taught me over the years, what I will remember the most about our relationship, and what I would want to pass down to my own family – the best way to honor his life and carry on his memory.
And it basically all boiled down to 5 things. What I’d like to call:
Five Rules to Live By, According to Grandpa Green
Rule #1: Use Your Hands, Get Dirty, Build Something
Most of my memories with Grandpa involve being outside and doing something industrious. On the farm in Warren, we helped ho dirt and plant seeds and picked watermelons out in the garden, we shucked peas on the porch, and dug around in the compost for worms. We shot guns and wandered through the woods.
When they stayed on Lake Livingston, we hooked minnows for fishing and went out on the boat to help check his fishing lines.
Even when they moved back to the city, Grandpa always had some little project going in his backyard shop. He was a mechanic, he engineered things and gardened, he was a carpenter, and a fisherman. He always worked with his hands and we were always happy to get dirty with him.
Rule #2: Silence is a Virtue
Now, if you know our family, you know that we are an “opinionated” folk. And I am, hands down, my grandmother’s grandchild. So this one doesn’t come as naturally for me as the others.
But I always admired that Grandpa never spoke of trivial things, never of ill will towards others. He was never a grand story teller or jokester and he never needed to have the last word - especially with Grandma. When he spoke, you know it mattered and you listened.
Rule #3: Remember your history
Though he might not have been a big talker, I always loved hearing about “the way it wuz”. Growing up during the Great Depression and the childhood stories he would tell about him and his brother Uncle Monk. His service in the Pacific Islands during WWII, where he constructed buildings and utilities in preparation for the soldiers. And his years of hard labor at ExxonMobil. He was indeed part of the Greatest Generation – the great men and women who built this country to prosperity with their hands. They fought for and lived by what is right.
I also loved talking politics with Grandpa and hearing his prospective on the news. Even to the very end, he was always on top of what was going on in the world. He had a vast memory and understanding of important events in America.
And so I think he would say: Remember where you came from, remember what is right in this world, and remember the people who sacrificed for a greater cause.
Rule #4: Educate Your Mind
Another thing about Grandpa was that he was an avid reader. From westerns to murder mysteries, he was a regular at the library. In fact, he was the only one out of my grandparents who finished high school and earned their diploma.
I like to think that given another economic or cultural circumstance, he too would have gone on to college - Lord knows he had the brains to do it.
And he was always so supportive and proud of our own educational accomplishments. He was at every one of our graduations, any award ceremony or performance. And in recent years, even made it all the way up to Austin twice to see me graduate.
His mind never grew weary and I think he believed that education and learning by any means was important in life.
Rule #5: Live Simple
A few years ago, Grandpa decided that he wanted to apply for a credit card for the first time in his life and he was denied…..Zero prior credit history available. Imagine the irony in the fact that a man who owned homes and cars, paid everything in full, practically invented the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” was deemed financially untrustworthy. I thought that was just hilarious and really exemplified how Grandpa Green had always lived his life: If you can’t pay for it, you don’t need it.
Perhaps another learned habit from being part of that Greatest Generation but Grandpa never lived extravagantly, never beyond his means. He never had flashy cars or went on fancy vacations. To Grandpa: A house was four walls and a roof. A car was something that got you from point A to B. A vacation was spending time with loved ones.
In this day and age, that may seem like a boring and antiquated way to live. But, you know what, it is real and it is meaningful. Memories, like those that I’ve shared with you today, are the true wealth of man.
To close with one final quote: “Each of us will one day be judged by our standard of life -- not by our standard of living; by our measure of giving -- not by our measure of wealth; by our simple goodness -- not by our seeming greatness.”
Grandpa - I’m sad that you’re gone. But I smile when I think of all that you taught me. And I know that you will always be in my heart. Love you Grandpa.
