Since you are sitting here today, my guess is this remarkable guy that I was lucky enough to call Grandpa made you feel extra special in some way. He had an incredible knack for it. He could have written a book on it….Like ”How to Win Friends and Influence People” or “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” But those books had already been written and Grandpa wouldn’t touch a book with a 10 foot pole, let alone write one! But the lessons I learned from his example about how to make others feel extra special could have filled many chapters. Chapter 1: Make Every Day Feel Adventurous When you got to ride along with Grandpa you never knew what kind of adventure you would have. Would we go somewhere extraordinary? No. Would we leave Sarpy …show more content…
He wanted to make sure anyone in his company had plenty even if that meant him going without. As a kid, the most exciting part of his generosity was his excitement for the holidays. Santa and and Easter Bunny could not compete with the big splash gifts grandpa would spoil grandma, his kids and his grandkids with at Christmas. Whatever the year’s hot new gift was, you could bet it was under his tree. And, if he found out someone was bringing a guest to Christmas he would be sure there was a special present for that person to open too even if that meant heading out on Christmas Eve to get a thoughtful gift. Easter wasn’t much different. Big overflowing baskets hidden on the roof, in trees and other hard to reach places had extra special treats for us kids and the egg hunt at his house was …show more content…
Love children and babies Kids LOVE my grandpa. And he loved to give horsie rides and whisker rubs, tease kids and pull pranks on them. I think he spent half of each April Fools Day on the phone calling family and friends and adamantly declaring that there was a fire. “Quick, run outside, can you see the smoke?” Every year he would fool us. Of course, in the moment you would feel mad to be on the receiving end of his pranks but at the same time you’d feel extra special that he took the time to give you the extra attention. Even as the aches and pains of old age began to creep in, Grandpa didn’t want to slow down. The only time he was happy chair sitting was when he was rocking a baby. He had a soft spot for all kids and babies but I saw this in a new light when I became a parent myself. Violet and Grandpa took their daily naps together rocking in his recliner chair. And from the time she was a newborn to the night before he passed away she enjoyed snuggling with him and watching “her comics” (as grandpa would say). Even though generations separated them, their bond is one that I hope she can remember as she grows. Chapter 5. Help without expecting anything in
Throughout A Christmas Carol, we see exemplary examples that generosity is more about the spirit in which something is given than the item itself, from the schoolmaster's offer of food and wine to a young Scrooge and his adoring young sister Fan, or the humble but merry celebration hosted by Mr. Fezziwig and his wife, or even Fred's offer of assistance to a grieving Bob Cratchit in a future that does not come to pass: as Bob says, “Now, it wasn't for the sake of anything he might be able to do for us,so much as for his kind way, that this was quite delightful. It really seemed as if he had known our Tiny Tim, and felt with us." Despite this, the glee exhibited by the family acts as a stark contrast to their circumstances, endorsing the notion that generosity involves more than the giving of money and that the price of giving ones love and kindness cannot be quantified.
Christmas was originally supposed to be a celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Modern historians suggest that Christ was actually born sometime in April, but that is hardly the point; the point is that a day on which to celebrate his birth and life was needed, and so one was chosen. During the season surrounding this holiday -- especially since it coincided with that of other, similar holidays -- it was thought right to honor Jesus by acting as he did, i.e., in a kind, generous, and forgiving manner. Out of this sprung the custom of giving gifts to loved ones on this holiday.
Granny seems to be bitter about somethings, but not about the life and love she had with her husband. Granny says, “I wouldn’t exchange my husband for anybody except St. Micheal himself.” (Porter, 210) Though not ready for death, “I’m not going, Cornelia. I’m taken by surprise,” (Porter, 270) she seems to have a purpose brought by love even in death. She had a loved one that she wanted to go see. “Granny made the long journey outward, looking for Hapsy.”(Porter, 270) Her loving, though full of loss, seems a prime example of what it means to be a
Porter and Welty both provide flashbacks and memories in their stories to help the reader see what Granny and Sister’s lives were like before everything fell apart with their families. Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” is packed of the flashbacks and memories of Granny’s past relationships with the only people she loves even though are all dead. She reminisced about her youthful days when she was strong, independent, and with John, the man who stood her up at the altar and died when Granny was young. She still loves him and wants to see him, but “John would be looking for a young woman with the peaked Spanish comb in her hair and the painted fan,” (Porter 81) she believed he would not recognize her. Granny also lost one of her daughters, Hapsy along with her newborn who also died. When Granny brought those memories to the surface a fog of darkness, clouds reality and she gets lost and recalls that, “there was the day, the day, but a whirl of dark smoke rose and covered it, crept up and over into the bright field where everything was planted so c...
“Christmas is nothing less than a Humbug, bah, nothing but a humbug”, said an old man by the name of Ebenezer Scrooge not knowing that his attitude and mistreatment of the poor and his co-works would ultimately lead to himself being trile for his actions and him messing behaving with the spirit of christmas. Old man Scrooge who beyond all means was quite wealthy and could afford to give higher wages plus christmas bonus but doesn’t due to him not seeing the point of doing so, so he just does give anything to anyone on christmas. Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, pays his uncle (Scrooge) a visit and invites him to his annual Christmas party but declined the offer and when off with his day with a bitter heart and bah humbug to anyone who mention christmas.
Some of her best years were caring for her children. When her daughter entered the first grade NS decided that it was time for her to go back to school as well. In 1984 NS graduated college with her teaching degree, and retired at age 66. Her best years weren’t over yet. Her daughter welcomed her first child in 2009, and a year later her son welcomed his first-born. She had two beautiful grandchildren that kept her young, but that wasn’t the last of grandchildren. Nine months after her second grandchild, her son welcomed a baby girl in 2011. She stated, “It was a blessing to have them one after the other. Every time I turned around there was grandchild being born. I was in grandma heaven.” I asked what are your plans for the future, she replied, “ Watching my beautiful grandchildren grow, spending as much time with them as possible because before you know it they’ll be grown and have families of their own. Also enjoying my time with my husband. In September marks our 50th year anniversary, and I can’t wait to spend it with
The reader can visualize the opposing settings. The grandmother’s character is revealed in line 6 by the humming, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” combined with the setting implies that the grandmother is a religious person that appreciates the calm country life. When the grandmother stops humming the granddaughter states in line 12 -15, “I could feel the soft gray of her stare against the side of my face when she asked, How’s school a-goin?”. The granddaughter, narrator, starts revealing her inner thoughts to the reader. There is a close relationship between the grandmother and the granddaughter as evident in line 20, “She reached the leather of her hand over the bowl and cupped my quivering chin…(Meyer pg. 324) The caring touch reveals the grandmother’s concern for her granddaughter’s well being, even the lyric of her humming suggests that Jesus will listen to ones deepest worries and fears. The granddaughter’s life lessons learned at the northern college are referenced in Line 19 as very strong like “..a swig of strychnine (Meyer pg. 324)”. In line 31, her “…friends wore noserings and wrote poetry about sex, about alcoholism, about Buddha (Meyer
Although Santa has become the main staple of the Christmas season it is important to remember the true reason for the season. Jesus’ birth is what December 25 began as until Saint Nicholas day merged with it. Even though the character that has developed and encountered extremely drastic changes, he has almost always been a giving generous figure in society. “Santa is ‘an invention of the advertising industry’ and ‘a representative of consumer society,’ according to Bonifatiuswerk der deutschen Katholiken [Boniface of German Catholics], which seeks to restore St. Nicholas to his proper place in the Christmas season” (Sweas).
The grandmother is a humorous character because during the trip, "[She] took cat naps and woke up every few minutes with her own snoring." Later, she recalled an old plantation she once visited. She then over exaggerates the plantation story and say 's "There was a secret panel in this house" ( O 'Connor 714) knowingly she wasn 't telling the truth. And of course, the grandchildren whined desperately and the family drove off to see the house with a secret
Gran, as I frequently called her, stood at five feet seven inches tall. She was an elderly woman in her mid-50s that enjoyed living life and helping others in any way possible, whether it is at the market selling produce, donating to a charity for the less fortunate, or participating in walk-a-thons. On the verge of going into her sixties, her behavior protruded was one of a woman in her early thirties. Dressed in a tight, knee-high khaki pants, a black V-cut top, and a black sandals, with her hand held on her hip saying, “I might be old in age, but I am young and strong at heart darling” as she responded to my comment, in my dialect, “Yuh feel you too young.” This brought much humor to the room. The joyou...
I remember vividly the weekends at his house. Sitting on his lap, going to wrestling matches, walking down the street or through a park--these were things I did with Grandpa. I wasn't just a kid to him: I was his granddaughter, and I was special. He was special too.
I was not always a social and outgoing individual and I considered myself unlucky in life. I never stood out and did not have enough confidence to attempt to do so, not until one day in middle school. My Mathematics professor gave us an unexpected test. A lot of my classmates did not do well and I was sure I would be one of them. To my greatest surprise I scored the highest in the class with an A on the test. She called me aside after that class to talk about how I could develop my Math skills. She also ...
In life many of us experience what it is like to be hurt by those we hold dear. As a young girl I saw this first hand that generally the people we hold the closest actually end up being the people that hurt us the most. You expect more from them and their actions affect you on a deeper level the people you hold to a different standard from your loved ones. My grandmother taught me through the hardships she experienced what it mean to be a genuinely selfless person. My grandmother showed me the best way to live is by ensuring the happiness of loved ones even when they have wronged you
I slowly opened the front door -- the same old creak echoed its way throughout the old house, announcing my arrival just seconds before I called out, "Grandma!" She appeared around the corner with the normal spring in her steps. Her small but round 5'1" frame scurried up to greet me with a big hug and an exclamation of, "Oh, how good to see you." It was her eighty-fifth birthday today, an amazing feat to me, just part of everyday life to her. The familiar mix of Estee Lauder and old lotion wafted in my direction as she pulled away to "admire how much I've grown." I stopped growing eight years ago, but really, it wasn't worth pointing this fact out. The house, too, smelled the same as it's ever smelled, I imagine, even when my father and his brothers grew up here more than forty years ago -- musty smoke and apple pie blended with the aroma of chocolate chip cookies. The former was my grandfather's contribution, whose habit took him away from us nearly five years ago; the latter, of course, comes from the delectable delights from my grandmother's kitchen. Everything was just as it should be.
The air is really fresh, and the wind is comfortable. Grandma usually opened the window during the daytime; I still remembered that feeling when the sunshine came in house and scatter. I walking among those numerous grand trees and admire colored leaves on the trees and on the ground. I miss that feeling of calmness and stability of the world around. I wish I could return the reality of those feelings once more. Memories in mind and never forget about happiness of staying in my grandmother’s house. Grandparent’s time-honored gift to their grandchildren is their unconditional love, unfettered by schedules, routines or commitments. They reinforced their grandchildren’s sense of security and self-value.