1.26.2010

Now I Get It.

My grandpa passed away almost five years ago this May.
It's crazy how time flies.
Even when you're not having fun.
When I was a kid he used to have my cousin Sara and I go out to to field, pick up rocks, and throw them into the bucket of the tractor he had parked there.
We were told to keep track of how many we picked up so we could be paid for them.
*Small Rocks- 1 cent
*Medium Rocks- 5 cents
*Large Rocks- 10 cents
(I don't exactly know what determined the exact size of a rock)

Sometimes we would be out there for 15 minutes, sometimes hours.
When we were done we would run and give Grandpa our tally and he would pay up.
Then it was off to the old Winegars on our bikes for some Crystal Pepsi & Pizza Lunchables.

I remember always wondering to myself what Grandpa would do with the field once the rocks were cleared. And how we ever seemed to make a dent after hours of picking them up.

Then today while I was folding laundry I finally got it.
Yes, it took me almost 20 years to figure it out.

When the sun went down, before the tractor was put away, Grandpa would spread the rocks back onto the field.
This was his way of teaching me the value of hard work and a dollar.

Thanks Grandpa.

2 comments:

Michelle said...

This post made me cry and miss my grandpas. Thanks for sharing.

Nicole *Ü* said...

LOL He did not because we now own that field and having planted a garden in that exact field this summer I know from first-hand experience that the rocks literally just keep coming back because no matter how many we threw out of our garden, there were always more the next day. BUT Grandpa most definitely was teaching you guys the value of hard work!!! And, sadly, Grandpa passed away 6 years ago because Conner will be 6 this year. :(