My grandfather (Papa) turned ninety-three yesterday.
All my life, he’s always been there. He took me fishing. He took me hunting. He came to my sports games when Granny told him they were going and that the farm work would have to wait.
Coming back to the farm, he was always there—helping where he could.
This year’s been different.
Last week, he drove himself to the field and watched us work from the driver’s seat of his truck. It was the first time he’s driven himself to the farm all year.
Yesterday, we were harvesting in a field up north. One truck and one driver were keeping up and, preparing to begin drilling wheat, I was tasked back to the farm to begin working on drill and seed.
It was a long drive back, through winding river bottoms with no straight line but bowed and bent, like river itself, to lie of the land.
I thought of my grandpa. I had the time. I was going through town.
I stopped for a gift.
What do you get someone who really wants nothing and is grateful for all he has?
When you know the person, the answer’s simple.
Peanut M&Ms.
They are his favorite. There is always a glass container full on center island of his kitchen. How many bags of M&Ms I have taken from it over the years, I could not begin to say.
But he doesn’t get out much any more, so I’ve been paying better attention and make sure that it stays full.
I stopped at the store, found the biggest bag that I could find—and a gallon of ice cream as well.
Before delivering the gift, I made another. Ice cream, milk, chocolate syrup, coffee syrup, chocolate chips, and chocolate chip cookies—I made a milkshake.
Wendy’s Frosties are another of his favorites, but my frugality rejects the price to which they’ve risen, so I made something of my own from treats and sweets we had on-hand.
I poured the milkshakes into Tervis cups, long-handled spoons for scraping out the very last—and delivered to my grandfather. My mother was there, and together we enjoyed the ice cream treat.
I love my grandfather. Much of the life I live today comes from seeing, and sharing in, the way that he lives his.