My grandfather was a very special person. When I remember him I remember “Peace” – peace of spirit!
My grandfather used to call me “my little princess”, but he also called all the girls that he knew as “my princess”! Many probably thinking they were the only ones of the world he called in that way!
My grandfather was a doctor. He had his consulting office and went around with a big case full of fascinating things: little round things of many colors, syringes, needles, cotton, alcohol, dressing of wounds… and everything had a special smell… And with him I learn that we had to be very careful when we take any medicine. That they can be very good for some things and for others they can be very dangerous and we shouldn’t touch them. - From that time I don’t like pills and I always think they are dangerous! Any one of them!
My grandfather went out early in the morning, and would came for lunch after we had already eaten, he would lay down for 5 minutes – and that was the time we couldn’t make any noise – and would go out again to see is patience in their homes and just come home to have dinner together. That was the time we would talk.
In the week ends or holidays, when we had no school in the next day, we use to play cards after dinner: my grandparents, my sister and me. My grandmother loved to play cards! As my grandmother use to become very cross when she lost a game, and my sister loved to win, they were partners and me and my grandfather made the other partner, because we didn’t mind to give to them the cards they needed to win, making as if we were distracted!
I never saw my grandfather taking a holiday. I never saw my grandfather getting sick. I never saw my grandfather moaning about life. I never heard my grandfather talking about “sacrifices” because he did everything with pleasure of doing them and never got tired!
My grandfather worked every Sunday morning up to his lunch time around 1 o’clock in the afternoon. Then he would rest for some 10 minutes and pick all his grandchildren and my grandmother in his little car and we would all have tea in one of the restaurants of our city that we would choose!
Normally, after dinner, my grandfather went to his office at home… we usually worked in filling cards with the names and data from his patience, or he would read books and articles about sickness… and I loved to be there with my grandfather!
His officer was a place covered with bookshelf with books all around, from the floor to the ceiling (that wasn’t very high)! And, as he was working I draw, paint, read books, turn over pages of books that I didn’t understand but fascinated me! My grandfather just told me that there were books which “were not for my age and that I wouldn’t understand yet”… But he never has forbidden me from reading anything.
It was in this sanctuary where I wrote my first poem, my first story, and I draw and paint my first pictures! Always with the loving appreciation of my grandfather!
Every time I felt sad I would refuge myself in my grandfather’s office… And refuge myself in books if I didn’t understand very well life that surrounds me. I think that many solutions and explanations for the problems I found them, in may own way, and according to my interpretation, in my grandfather’s office, in the peace that he gave to me, in the books that I devoured along the passing of time and of the years…
Not that I had my grandfather in “highly consideration” all the time! When the problems of the teens and the years of the “revolutions” and I was young – and everything is just or black or white, or good or bad, or right or wrong – I thought my grandfather was “weakling” because he never wanted to “take a side” and always tried to solve all problems in a “pacific” way, with out wars, with out giving reason to one or the others and giving reason to all parts in conflict. But today I think he was the person that most influenced my way of being and seeing things from many different angles and try to understand that there is always a different point of view, that even if I don’t agree with it, something can be correct, in the other person point of view.
My grandfather was the example of peace! Of wisdom… that kind of wisdom I would like to transmit and teach to my children, to my pupils and to all the children of the world!
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Reviewed by David Quintana
6/13/2007
Overlooking the few grammatical mistakes, the story is enjoyable and brings back many memories.
Sounded like it was a wonderful place. Wonderful story of happy memoies, yes, indeed, your granpa was a special man! You've demonstatrated that in this write. Good job, Angelina!
(((HUGS))) and much love, your Tx. friend, Karen Lynn. :D
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