Daily Prompt: Value

“Value a moment of your life that makes you smile”.  So much goes on in our lives that we don’t take advantage of the smaller moments.  I went outside today and the first thing that I noticed was how much the trees have started to change colour.  The dark reds and palette of oranges were vivid, distinct, a sure sign that the season was changing before me and at the same time it made me reflect.

I took a moment and listened, in the background, maybe a few neighbor’s across the way I heard a power saw.  The sound of a power saw for me has a lot of relevance, my grandfather used to use one all the time and when I hear one it reminds me of him.  I remember this one saturday morning as a young kid, I was planted comfortably on the couch wrapped in blankets anxiously awaiting the start of the marathon of cartoons that would surely keep my attention well into noon.  Just as the cartoons were about to start, right before dungeons and dragons I heard this noise, it was deafening, what was that god awful racket?

At first I tried to power through it, maybe it would soon stop and I can go back to my animated bliss with no interruptions.  There it goes again, this time no matter how lazy and comfortable I felt I had to investigate what was ruining the start of my weekend.  So I got dressed, actually I just threw on a three times to big jacket and ventured outside to see who was the culprit and hopefully put a stop to all.

I made my way down the side of the house all disgruntled when I turned the corner.  I looked across the yard ready to maybe get mad at an uncle, they were like brothers to me and I would have leverage to get them to stop.   Nope, it was pop, he was sawing up wood, the smell of sawdust hung at my nose and the sun had this certain tinge, for some reason that moment was itched in my memory forever.  I stood there watching him as he made calculated cuts to the wood in front of him, there was something tranquil about watching a man who never once in my life showed me that I wasn’t anything but his son.  Yes I was his grandson by blood but he was my dad by his choice.  He was there when no one else cared, he was the man that I valued in my life and someone for whom I respected until the day he passed.  I miss my grandfather terribly but I valued our time together each day of my life.

That morning, and that moment in time, I realized that he made a lot of sacrifices to make sure I was well taken care of.  The wood he was cutting that day was brought on his own back, a metaphor for taking me on as his own responsibility.  From someone who was raised by their grandparents something as simple as sawing wood for me symbolizes how much I value my grandfather and his selfless gesture of being my surrogate dad.  I value everyday that I got to spend with that man, he taught me a lot in my young life and some of it I didn’t realize until I got much older.

The picture attached to this post reminds me of that time, the time when my grandfather took it upon himself to be my mentor, to be my hero, to be my dad with no questions asked.

I miss you pop.

via Daily Prompt: Value