THE MARK OF A MAN......

It was yesterday..... Thanksgiving eve..... I was up at the "Just Stuff" antique booth doing a few things that needed doing and in walks my little cousin Kevin and his wife Terri. I call Kevin my little cousin even though he towers over me by a half foot or so, and he is younger, but has just now retired. It was the first time seeing them in a few years and I really enjoyed our visit even though it was just a short one. As I said, the visit was short but our conversation lingered through the night and into the morning in my mind. As we talked, I asked Kevin what he wanted to do now that retirement was here and he said he wasn't really sure but had thought about doing a little blacksmithing. He wanted to make a few things that would last into the future. Something that would be a reminder to someone that he was here. Of course my thoughts immediately went to our Grandfather who was a blacksmith, but later in the night, the second part of his desire for the future hit me. He wanted to do something that would last into the future. In other words he wanted to leave his mark....... He wanted to make some things that would last longer than his life on earth and make someone look at what ever it was he had made and think,,,,, "Someone years ago spent part of their life to make this,,,, Someone gave of their time to create this and now I am holding it and I'm glad they gave of themselves." Kevin wants to be that someone that gave of himself....... WOW !!!!!!!!....... Talk about a goal !!!!! But in reality isn't that what we all want to do? Don't we all want to leave our mark? We don't all say it or state it as just matter-of-factly as Kevin did, but I think we all want to leave our mark. Our conversation turned to my writing and Kevin asked me if I had always written and I told him never until my heart surgery. I told him I had never known I could write until then and that I still wasn't sure I was good at it. He said he saw where some were encouraging me to publish some things and I told him I really had no desire to publish anything I wrote, but I really like sharing my thoughts.
Later as my mind was thinking on these things, I started to remember the goals I had set when I started to write. As I said earlier I still don't know if I can write but the one thing I do know is that I see life more clearly now than I use to and I just write down what I see and feel. I also know that I have the same goals that I had when I started to put these thoughts down four and a half years ago. My goal was then and still is to let my grand kids and children know in later years that their PaPa and daddy loved them. Years after I'm gone, I want them to remember times we spent and laugh at the memories. As they read what I put down I want them to never be ashamed to tell someone they are loved. As for me, I have no desire for fame. I have no need for lots of money. If along the way I happen to touch one of you and inspire you to tell another person you love them and you are thankful that they are in your life...... then I have been paid a fortune..... Yes, I will have become a very rich man. You see, I also want to make my mark. In years to come when someone ask my Grandchildren what their Grandfather did for a living, I want them to look that person in the eye and say "He lived a good life and he loved" That will be my mark. What better goal could a man have.
God Bless and have a great Thanksgiving and tell someone you love them............... I love you one and all and am thankful you are a part of my life...................................................