Another Pop Story

The godly walk with integrity;
    blessed are their children who follow them.                                                                   Proverbs 20:7

While I was cutting the grass the other day, I began o think about my dad and his adventures cutting the grass at our old house in Cincinnati, Ohio. This was the house I grew up in, one whose grass my brother and I had cut for many years- by hand with a reel type mower. If you do not know what that is, well, you are fortunate that you never had to use one.

At this stage of the game, in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when my dad was in his eighties, he continued to cut the grass by himself- no hiring out that difficult chore to a young lad in the neighborhood! Fortunately, he had by then purchased a power mower, long after my brother and I had been relieved of mowing duties by virtue of having moved onto our own lives as married men, with our own lawns to mow. We did wish Pop had bought that power mower for us to use, but that is another story.

Now my dad, (many of my readers realize was called Pop by the family), was a hard worker. He grew up in the 1920’s, was married and trying to make a living during the Depression, and he only knew hard work. Yet, despite that ethic, he also had a very calm temperament, and very little seemed to perturb him. He took life as it came, accepting people as they were, and living peaceably with about anyone as far as I could tell. He totally lived life in the present. What a gift!

The stories go, (and I cannot verify these stories, but they are delightful to retell) that dad, when cutting the grass would get tired, and right in the middle of mowing, he would simply lie down in the grass and rest. Pop simply lay down where he was and rested until he could finish the job. Indeed, our back yard then was a long, hilly slope that ended by a driveway for apartments that had been built some years before. So, Pop’s mowing ventures were able to be seen by any of the apartment dwellers that happened to be out.

The stories go that some of these apartment dwellers noticed Pop on the ground, were worried for his safety, and called 9-1-1. Upon seeing that Pop was just fine, the crisis was averted, and Pop continued to cut the grass. It is uncertain of my mom’s response, but I am sure Pop heard about mom’s displeasure!

I tell this story for several reasons. One, I love Pop stories, so thank you for your indulgence. Second, it speaks to my dad’s work ethic and unwillingness to give in to age or a weakening body. He would work as long as he needed to and he could take care of himself, thank you very much. Finally, it speaks to Pop’s lack of concern for what others may think of his plan to rest right where he was. He was not inhibited by the potential judgment of other people.

So, there you are. Another Pop story, and I hope you have enjoyed it. Pop was a wonderful man who loved God, loved his family, and accepted people right where they were.

 What a great legacy…

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for wonderful loving parents who loved and cared for us, and taught us to love you as well, Amen