Family Story- My Grandpa

I didn’t have a lot of fantastic childhood memories. There weren’t any spectacular family adventures, any crazy relatives, and no unique family story that taught some sort of lesson. Looking back, I realized my thoughts always centered around one single person. There was no specific event in my life, but many events with that one person always present. My grandfather, known to me as Pap, taught me many things. The most important was how to enjoy life. As a child, knowing I was going to my grandparent’s house for the weekend was always exciting. When I would arrive, it was almost as if I stepped back in time; back to an easier and simpler way of life. My Pap would greet my brother, sister and I with such surprise. You would think he didn’t know we were coming. It was as if he was so ecstatic to see three hellions that would watch his every move while asking question upon question on how and why he did things. When it came to Pappy Strong, things were always a little more exciting. Pap would always bend the rules, or break them, just to see us smile a little more. Each weekend would start with a fight about who got to drive the tractor first. In the warm months, we piled on the rear fenders of the tractor. Winter brought an added bonus. Pap would get a piece of carpet and attach it with a thick chain. He would pull us through the snow; taking corners as though he was trying to throw us off. When I said my Pap was a rule breaker, I wasn’t lying. He had a van with only front seats, allowing for a lot of standing room in the rear. Pap would get behind the wheel while the three grandkids assumed position in the back. We would stand legs spread and arms out, as he drove, to stay balanced. Sounds easy enough until you factor in the winding back roads and three siblings doing all they could to sabotage the others. If we lost our balance and were ejected from the game, we sat on Pap’s lap until reaching our destination. Driving 101, at age eight,