Ole Pappy

Ole Pappy once told me, “Son, we all die. There’s no way to get around it. Nobody has survived it yet.” So I asked him, “So why are we here, anyway? I mean, if we’re all going to die, what’s the point?”

Well, Ole Pappy looked me straight in the face and said, “The goal is not to live forever — the goal is to create something that will.”

I was thinking about that the other day as I scanned some of Ole Pappy’s copies of the Cosmos News. It started out as the Cosmos News — but some time along the way folks got together in Cosmos and decided to name all the streets after things in the heavens. You know, they named one street, “The Milky Way,” and another Mars Street.

The they constructed a make-shift space ship and hoisted it to the top of the water tower so everyone in town could see it when they drove past the intersection of Highway 4 and 7.

After all, COSMOS literally means, “Center of the Universe.” At the time I was growing up and Cosmos really was, “The center of my universe.” I found out much later that it was a pretty little town and not really the center of much of anything.

Then when I went back home a couple of years ago I discovered the old water tower was gone and so was the rocket on top. It was nicely decorated.

Anyway, Ole Pappy re-named his newspaper, “The Sun.” As I look over those old issues, I realize Ole Pappy did leave something that lasts — his newspaper.

Thanks Ole Pappy! I’m grateful!

LAUGH A LITTLE: Did God make you? The little girl climbed on her grandfather’s lap and said, “Did God make me?” Grandpa said, “Yes he did!” The little girl then asked, “Did God make you?” Grandpa said again, “Yes, he did!” The little girl looked at Grandpa’s wrinkles and thinning hair and said, “He’s sure doing a better job these days, isn’t he?”

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: As my Ole Pappy used to say, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it so complicated. So instead of wishing life was easier, wish that you were better.” Ole Pappy was a great thinker. But when he wanted to simplify things he’d say, “Just do it. Don’t make things so complicated.” Worked for me and I always got the job done. Thanks Ole Pappy!