His example is for us. – Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pg. 58
I
sat on the couch and leaned my head on his chest. I looked at his big hands;
they were wrinkled and tough, hardened by many years of work on the land and
the farm. I knew that he woke up every morning before the sun did: to go milk
the cows, fix fences, feed the hens, open the water canals for the irrigation,
and to do other farm chores. “Daddy, can I
go milk the cows with you tomorrow?” I asked.
When
I say “Daddy” I’m referring to my grandfather instead of my dad. You probably
wonder why. Well, my grandpa never liked the idea of feeling too old, so he
decided to go by “Daddy” instead of “Grandpa,” and since I only spoke Spanish,
I just thought “Daddy” was a nickname for my grandpa.
“If you
wake up before the sun does, you sure can,” he smiled. I knew it wouldn’t
happen.
Next
morning, I woke up and breakfast was ready. I could hear a tractor outside and
the noise of farm work. Daddy came into the kitchen and so did the aroma of
dirt, hay, cows, tractor oil, and fresh morning. He looks like a real farmer;
he is a real farmer, and I wish I was
like him. But what I remember the most about him is his calmness, how he was
always willing to help people in need, and how he would always hum hymns whenever
he would take me to school.
It’s
been seven years since a brain tumor took Daddy away from me. Sometimes I wish
he could be here and see how much I’ve grown; now I can drive tractors, wake up
before the sun does, and do farm work. He would be so proud of me! Even when he
is not here anymore, he still teaches me so much: I learn from his legacy to be
kind to people and to help those in need; I learn to be slow to speak; and I
learn to always have a song in my heart. His example will be with me until I
see him again in Heaven.
~ Mildred Rhys
