I was able to visit my home town, Norfolk, NE, earlier this week with my sister. We were visiting my brother, his wife, their older daughter, and their new baby girl, Aubrey Grace. It was amazingly beautiful to hold her for the first time and hum a few hymns to her. I got a few brief minutes with my dad. I got to make supper for my mom and step-dad. I was also able to connect with an almost impossible number of close friends. It is an amazing thing to have a best friend who will stay up for hours after closing at midnight just to catch up over some tea, thank you Charlie! I was also blessed with time with "the Taylors" who have been incredibly amazing friends and mentors going on 10 years now. And, I got to catch up with two men I consider little brothers, Aaron and Seth Kolm, despite their being something like 6'2" and well over 200 lbs. I was also blessed with a short visit with my mom's parents. The car ride bookends with my sister were also filled with good conversation.
One of the things that my sister remarked was how different our vision of Norfolk was growing up from what we know it as now. We had great friends growing up who made it a joyful time. But, looking at the town now, we only see the "small, rural town." It reminded me of the scripture:
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside." - 1 Corinthians 13:11 Amplified Bible
Growing up and seeing other places and ways of life has expanded my understanding of the world. I cannot view my hometown in the same light as I did in my youth.
A second thought occurred to me about my vision of my grandfathers while growing up. My dad's dad and my mom's dad couldn't be further apart on the spectrum of personalities. Grandpa Dale Goodwater has made economy of words a way of life; whereas, my grandpa Bob Baber will literally strike up a conversation with anyone who crosses his path. Back to how I saw them growing up. Maybe this is normal, I don't know, but I always kinda saw my Grandpa Goodwater as Clint Eastwood and my Grandpa Baber as Sean Connery. I'll post pictures below and you'll notice some faint similarities in their appearances to their better known doppelgangers, but in general I don't know why I saw them that way. I think their personalities affected my impression, and I guess I just saw them as these men of stature in my life. So this is not a change in thinking as much as a marvel on the way my mind worked as a child.
This is Dale Goodwater. The man who dropped every single aspect of his life to take care of my grandmother at home as she has dealt with mental disorder and degeneration. He taught us all what love and loyalty mean without saying a word.
And this is me and Bob Baber, who met Mother Teresa by chance on a 24 hour layover in Calcutta many years ago. He inspired my adventurous spirit in many ways.
Clint and Sean might be two of the most iconic men in show biz, but these two, Dale and Bob, are my epic grandfathers. God has blessed me with a broken and beautiful family I wouldn't trade for the wisdom or riches of Solomon.
One of the things that my sister remarked was how different our vision of Norfolk was growing up from what we know it as now. We had great friends growing up who made it a joyful time. But, looking at the town now, we only see the "small, rural town." It reminded me of the scripture:
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside." - 1 Corinthians 13:11 Amplified Bible
Growing up and seeing other places and ways of life has expanded my understanding of the world. I cannot view my hometown in the same light as I did in my youth.
A second thought occurred to me about my vision of my grandfathers while growing up. My dad's dad and my mom's dad couldn't be further apart on the spectrum of personalities. Grandpa Dale Goodwater has made economy of words a way of life; whereas, my grandpa Bob Baber will literally strike up a conversation with anyone who crosses his path. Back to how I saw them growing up. Maybe this is normal, I don't know, but I always kinda saw my Grandpa Goodwater as Clint Eastwood and my Grandpa Baber as Sean Connery. I'll post pictures below and you'll notice some faint similarities in their appearances to their better known doppelgangers, but in general I don't know why I saw them that way. I think their personalities affected my impression, and I guess I just saw them as these men of stature in my life. So this is not a change in thinking as much as a marvel on the way my mind worked as a child.
This is Dale Goodwater. The man who dropped every single aspect of his life to take care of my grandmother at home as she has dealt with mental disorder and degeneration. He taught us all what love and loyalty mean without saying a word.
And this is me and Bob Baber, who met Mother Teresa by chance on a 24 hour layover in Calcutta many years ago. He inspired my adventurous spirit in many ways.
Clint and Sean might be two of the most iconic men in show biz, but these two, Dale and Bob, are my epic grandfathers. God has blessed me with a broken and beautiful family I wouldn't trade for the wisdom or riches of Solomon.
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1 comment:
By the way, Dale aka Dad only wears suits to funerals & weddings!!! This was Rani's wedding! I will enjoy sharing this with him!! Luve Ya!
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