Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: ADAGE (10/05/23)
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TITLE: Grandpa's Words of Wisdom | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Meiners
10/11/23 -
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Wow! Mom thought. I don’t think Holly has ever asked me anything like this before. What advice should I give to her. Hmmmmm…….
Finally, she took Holly’s hand, looked into her big, beautiful, blue eyes and said, “Holly, I am going to give you the exact same advice that my dad, your grandpa, gave to me when I was your age.”
“Okay,” smiled Holly. “This should be good.”
Mom cleared her throat, smiled her sweet smile, and began.
“I can still hear my dad talking to me in his low, gruff voice; yet his voice filled with much love and seriousness. He took my hand and said….”
“Nicole, I want to give you four pieces of advice before you leave the safety of this home and go out into the world on your own. They have to do with good morals, good work ethics, choosing good friends and keeping your faith alive.
I simply nodded my head
“First, Nicole, ‘Things are not always what they seem.’ By this I mean, your friends may ask you to do things that seem right and good in the beginning but end up being harmful to you morally. ‘All roads don’t lead to home,’ Nicole. Some will take you on paths you don’t want to go. Don’t be afraid to think things through and check things out before your pursue any path offered to you.”
“Second, remember Nicole, ‘Don’t watch the clock, do what it does. Keep going.’ This is a reminder to you, Nicole, to stay focused, persistent and consistent in pursuing your goals at work. By staying committed to your objectives and taking small, purposeful steps towards them every day, you can overcome challenges and achieve success over time.”
“I think I’m getting it mom. You really don’t have to go on,” laughed Holly.
“Oh but I do,” said Mom as her thumb rubbed Holly’s hand.
“Third, grandpa always said, ‘A good friend is like a four-leaf-clover. Hard to find and lucky to have one.’ This was true in my life when I met Sylvia. Just like a four-leaf-clover is challenging to find, once I found this best friend, I considered that day to be my luckiest day. I can tell her anything, laugh about everything, be embarrassed and not care, tell her my deepest secrets and I love her to pieces. Nicole, I want that kind of friend for you too, so keep looking until you find her, and when you find her, grab her up and cherish her.
“Finally,” grandpa said while shaking his finger and pointing it at me, “never lose your spiritual fervor no matter what God brings into your life. Always ‘follow the straight and narrow’ for if you wander off of this path you will find yourself in places you do not want to go. In water too deep to swim. And finding your way back may be hard and difficult.”
“Nicole Jane, do you understand what I am saying?” grandpa asked with a concerned look on his face.
“I can still envision that moment when we had that conversation. It was one of the sweetest moments ever. I knew grandpa loved me and only wanted what was best for me. Holly, this is what I want for you too, so I ask, Holly, do you understand what I am saying?”
“Yes mom, I hear you. You are the best and I appreciate your sharing your grandpa story with me. I have something to share with you. Well, actually, something Abraham Lincoln said a long time ago. ‘All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my mother.’”
“Mom, you have raised me well and I’ll do my best to make you and dad proud of me as I go off to college, get my first job and begin life on my own. I hope I am as successful as the two of you have been and love and serve God the way you have done. With God as my helper, I know I will succeed.”
“I love you Holly,” whispered Mom.
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