Submitted by Kristina J. Wood

You asked for our stories and boy do I have a lot to tell you.  However, right now, on my heart are my grandparents.  My grandfather is 93 yrs old and when my mom say’s she is the “Milkman’s kid” it’s true.  Grandpa has had many jobs over his 93 years.   Milkman, mechanic, janitor, farmer, father, husband…  but none as big as just being a huge influence in my life.  I think God knew we would be the perfect combination of granddaughter and grandfather.  In a family where we are always misunderstood by others, we (grandpa and me) were perfectly understood by each other, never in spoken words, but in the art of just being together.

When I was little, Grandma and Grandpa’s farm was my favorite place on earth. Getting up early every morning to feed the animals and collect the multi colored eggs was a joy not a task. Grandpa and I enjoyed some good old-fashioned oats with raisins and whole-wheat toast for breakfast. Then I would go collect a mid day snack from the garden, before heading out to discover the lay of the land.

I would ask Grandpa, “Can I ride Oaky?” He always responded the same, “yep”. Then he would quietly fall asleep in his chair watching PBS. I’d go play with Tola, (the Alaskan Husky) chase the chickens or go on hunt with one of the many barn cats for a while, then return with the same question, “Grandpa, can I ride Oaky?” He would respond with, “What? You don’t have her saddled yet?” He always expected me to go ahead and just do it even though I didn’t have the first clue as to how to. He wanted me to try to figure it out. This was probably one of life’s biggest lessons he taught me, and it was taught with loving, quiet strength.

I eventually did learn to saddle a horse and ride like the wind, with a little safety check from Grandpa before I took off. However, more than just riding, it was in his quiet strength that he taught me to try, and then try again. To be comfortable figuring things out because people telling you what you should do, and being confident knowing how, are two totally different things. Very early he was teaching me to rely on the gifts and the knowledge that God instilled in me from conception, to look to God for my guidance. People would be there to help with the “safety checks,” but they could never write my story as well as my Arthur.

I am so blessed by him. In his quiet strength I learned so many things from the art of just being together. He showed me that enjoying ones company does not always include chatter. As a matter of fact, chatter simply amplifies challenges. It doesn’t solve them. It is the actions or steps taken that resolve life’s biggest challenges.
And speaking of chatterboxes. My sister and Grandma could chat all day and night, not letting anyone get a word in! I remember being reprimanded on several occasions for saying things that were not exactly on topic. I laugh about this now, because as I recall, my comments were usually on topic of something discussed an hour before. It just took that long for either of them to breathe so I could speak up. My sister was such a blabbermouth that Grandma even nicknamed her “Gabby”.

It was through this, that I learned that communication was important. The art of communicating clearly could be an effective tool in changing the world around me. Grandma taught me to speak up in a timely fashion, speak clearly, and get to the point. She taught me that words can be just as important as the actions behind them. That I could, “catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”. Her words were always an extension of grace.

When it came time for me to grow up and find out who I really was, and what I was supposed to be doing, they again impacted my decision. I decided to become an herbalist. I am completely comfortable in the role. When I look back on my childhood, I realize I had been exposed to this my entire life. I watched Grandpa grow things in the green house, or on the farm, and watched him take a handful of supplements daily with his breakfast. Though I never fully understood at the time, I did know he was never sick. I was able to succeed because Grandpa had taught me so well not be afraid of the challenge but to tackle it head on. Grandma had taught me well to communicate clearly and speak timely. When it came time to pick a business name, I chose “Grace”. Art and Grace taught me many of life’s great lessons and the biggest one being the “Art of Grace”. I use the love lessons of both of them as daily reminders to myself and as a message to my clients. It is “The Art of living a life of Grace.”

Grandpa has just been diagnosed with lung cancer in it’s advanced stages.  Because of his age, there is little the medical profession desires to do for him.  This doesn’t stop him.  When he was asked if he wanted a biopsy – he responded “Absolutely!”  The doctor looked puzzled and asked, “why are you so sure?  There isn’t much we can do for you.”  He responded, “Because when I find out exactly what it is, I am sure I can find a God Created solution.”  Of course his physician chuckled and responded, “When you find it, let me know what it is.”  Grandpa and Grandma still live by themselves in their own home and Grandpa still drives them to church every Sunday.

We are waiting for that biopsy to be preformed as well as a new pacemaker put in.  In the meantime, grandpa still fights for every breath with everything he’s got.  He knows where he is going and has no fear about death.  He says, he has a good life here and likes it.  Although he would love to meet his maker, he is not ready to go home just yet.  He loves his wife (she’s 92), he loves his kids (2 daughters and 2 sons) He loves his grandchildren (I am the special one, at least he’s always made me feel that way. There are 8 of us.)  He loves his great grandchildren. (There are 5) and his great great grandchild. (There is 1).  He has seen the time of horse and buggy (that’s how he delivered milk), never really much cared for computers or automated machinery, and remembers the day when government really was, “for the people by the people”.  He remembers when our environment wasn’t so polluted and when you could trust that farmer next door would not kill you with his produce. He remembers when people came together to solve everyday issues because it is just the right thing to do.  More than anything else he understand, his actions speak volumes and words only speak chapters.  Though he will not be remembered in history books as anything special – He will be known as the greatest man in my history.

Kristina J. Wood is a Wife, Homeschooling Mom, and Natural Health Specialist in Hesperia, Michigan. She and her husband Mitch have two sons, Jayke and Brandon, and a daughter, Jazmine, and a granddaughter, Ava Lee. When asked about herself Jennifer says, “I am a firm believer in using the things God blesses us with. Sometimes that is food/spices for our health and sometimes it’s looking at a pile of junk and turning it into something beautiful. I am married to a musician, my children are artists (sketching mostly), me .. well, I cannot sing or play a note and can only draw fine looking stick people. However, give me a piece of clay, a pile of junk or a broken spirit and I will let God do what he does to make it something beautiful. I am always amazed at how He uses these hands to put broken pieces together.” Kristina can be found on facebook at facebook.com/naturalhealth4U.

Jennifer and I chose this story to be the first TRAVELERS IRL post because we, like Kristina, appreciate our family heritage so much. In a culture that glorifies the young just because they are young, it’s nice to hear from someone who still nurtures and relishes a connection with a precious older and wiser family member. Sometimes we criticize our elders because they don’t “keep up” with modern technology. I wonder if that is the secret of simple happiness that many of them seem to possess.