In the beginning, little things made up the memories.
That''s what the Bigger Picture is all about, after all!
My Grandfather was the very first Elder in my life.
We called him, Zada. When I was very little, we would
go to visit him, he was always so delighted with me!
He would take me on his knee and just look at me!
Zada would give me a hug, and rub my cheek with
his. I would not like this, for his face always had sharp
bristles even when he had shaved! It was the words, though,
that I remembered...down through the years!
For every single time Zada would give me that hug, he would
remind me to do three things!
Gay-de" he''d call me, "Remember what I am about to tell you!
Always put your family first, above all else!" Then, he would
pause and think carefully of what he was going to say next.
"Gay-de, go to school and learn all you can! Do something
wonderful with your life!"
And finally, he''d wink at me and say, "Take care of your Health,
for if you lose it...it''s very hard to get back!" All of this wisdom
happened in the briefest of moments!
If I could only ask my Grandfather of Old, some leading questions:
"Tell me a Story! Tell me about my Grandmother, whom I never
knew! Tell me about Russia, in Poland where you grew up!
What was it like being a little boy back in the late 1800s?
How was your life in the family?"
I never asked those questions, and the stories are long buried and
forgotten. You the Reader can ask them of your Elders!
Make the Moment Matter!