Granpa's hands...
As a child I spent a couple of summers with my grandfather in Killeen Texas... He was a Civil Service worker on the Base there... GOOD ole Fort Hood... back then it was the largest military base in America ... I think...I'ts even biger now...
My grandpa was a big fellow... about 6'2"... something over 200 pounds... best I understand He worked on base in supplies... his wife, my step grandmother was also a civil service worker and between the two of em... they put in over seventy years of service to our country...
I was like seven or eight... and I remember grandpa taking my hand... he had huge hands just massive, but they were wrinkled and dry... rough from the years of hard work handling things and lifting and whatever his job required...
The last time I held my grandpa's hands was in 1980, we were livin in Utah at the time, and were thinking of moving back to Texas... still seekin my grandmother seal of approval hehehe... so any way I get this strong erge to go to Killeen first...
I was never close to my grandfather, cause I listen to my grandmother talk so bad about him and how he didn't care about me and so no and so forth... so I never really tried to get to know the man... (something I tought my kids to never do is not try to get to know someone just cause someelse talked them down...)
Any way... we took off out of Utah. around March.. something...just after we recieved out tax returns and Hello Killeen Texas...
found my grandfather on his death bed... with bone cancer... he had been calling my name for three weeks solid according to my Mom and my step grandmother...
he got to see three of his four grand children before he past away... that afternoon he took a turn for the worse so we had him taken to the hospital... I rode along with him... my wife drove granny and my mom...
In the hospital he took my hand...once again.. they were still huge, but they only matched my hands in size at this time... wrinkled and soft... weak... and in pain... he was still 6'2", and even though he looked big he was only about 100 pounds in weight... I noticed how lite he was as the nurse as me to help her lift him into the hospital bed from the journey...he weight nothing... I placed him a gently as I could in the bed and he took my had and said his peace... ask me to look after Granny...
couple hours later he was off on a new journey... he left this world of pain for something else... something I want to believe is without pain, and suffering.... granny was with him in his moment of truth... and she continued on 16 years just waiting to go be with Joe... bless em both... they were true soulmates...
and these hands, on this keyboard are startin to look a lot like grandpa's hand... and I'm kinda proud of that...
sure they are swollen and dry... and they are in pain...then....
russ
As a child I spent a couple of summers with my grandfather in Killeen Texas... He was a Civil Service worker on the Base there... GOOD ole Fort Hood... back then it was the largest military base in America ... I think...I'ts even biger now...
My grandpa was a big fellow... about 6'2"... something over 200 pounds... best I understand He worked on base in supplies... his wife, my step grandmother was also a civil service worker and between the two of em... they put in over seventy years of service to our country...
I was like seven or eight... and I remember grandpa taking my hand... he had huge hands just massive, but they were wrinkled and dry... rough from the years of hard work handling things and lifting and whatever his job required...
The last time I held my grandpa's hands was in 1980, we were livin in Utah at the time, and were thinking of moving back to Texas... still seekin my grandmother seal of approval hehehe... so any way I get this strong erge to go to Killeen first...
I was never close to my grandfather, cause I listen to my grandmother talk so bad about him and how he didn't care about me and so no and so forth... so I never really tried to get to know the man... (something I tought my kids to never do is not try to get to know someone just cause someelse talked them down...)
Any way... we took off out of Utah. around March.. something...just after we recieved out tax returns and Hello Killeen Texas...
found my grandfather on his death bed... with bone cancer... he had been calling my name for three weeks solid according to my Mom and my step grandmother...
he got to see three of his four grand children before he past away... that afternoon he took a turn for the worse so we had him taken to the hospital... I rode along with him... my wife drove granny and my mom...
In the hospital he took my hand...once again.. they were still huge, but they only matched my hands in size at this time... wrinkled and soft... weak... and in pain... he was still 6'2", and even though he looked big he was only about 100 pounds in weight... I noticed how lite he was as the nurse as me to help her lift him into the hospital bed from the journey...he weight nothing... I placed him a gently as I could in the bed and he took my had and said his peace... ask me to look after Granny...
couple hours later he was off on a new journey... he left this world of pain for something else... something I want to believe is without pain, and suffering.... granny was with him in his moment of truth... and she continued on 16 years just waiting to go be with Joe... bless em both... they were true soulmates...
and these hands, on this keyboard are startin to look a lot like grandpa's hand... and I'm kinda proud of that...
sure they are swollen and dry... and they are in pain...then....
russ
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