Legend in the Thorn
My late grandfather loved to tinker with anything around him and all houses that he owned or lived in had wood sheds at the back to store all the tools and equipment that he used for various projects, wherever the address or however small the space might be. I think I was around five years old when I would tag around with him while he was working on something, and I wouldn’t mind so much because I was such a curious kid and he would explain all my questions patiently and showed me what he was doing. By then, he was already an old man past his prime, a retired school teacher whose passion was carpentry, but in his advanced years he had learned to take it slow and indulge in the things that he loved best, which were time and his large family. Grandpa raised a family of ten kids with Grandma, and nine of those kids became adults with families and homes of their own, but everyone often came back together in the big house to spend the weekend or holidays for days or weeks at a time. My uncles and aunties all agree that although it was not an easy life while growing up, what with the family so huge and barely getting by, the stories that proved their parents’ dedication and love for each other and the family are very inspiring and worth repeating. My older cousins would relate how lucky I was to be born at a time when Grandpa had already mellowed so much that I got to have such sweet memories of him; apparently when they were younger he still used to be so strict on the kids. Many would even go so far as to say I was his favorite, to which I would never know what to reply; all I know is that with the time that I got to spend with him before he passed away, I got to know a really special man.