This photo is of my grandfather on my mother’s side. His name was Elmer, and he was truly a “free spirit.” Sometimes he could be short and cantankerous, and I’ll have to say he did not get along with everyone as well as he did with me, but I loved him and his unique personality. He was a serious Christian, as was I, but we saw a number of things differently, and we had many a strong discussion over the years. Sometimes now I think about one particular thing on which we disagreed strongly. In later years – after he went to be with the Lord – I came to realize that he had been right about it all along. Many times I’ve thought, “My, I wish Grandpa were here so I could sit down with him and talk about this again – now that I can see what he was really saying.”
He had a real knack for taking things apart and putting them back together. And he loved doing it. There was something in him that just had to see what made things work. So at nearly any time, he could be found with some piece of equipment or machinery lying spread out in parts, waiting to be reassembled at Grandpa’s leisure. I even have a photo of our huge family celebrating Christmas – everyone passing around gifts and opening them – while Grandpa sits in front of the TV set with his flashlight and screwdriver, doing his own thing.
In his forties, he developed lung cancer and had surgery to remove part of his lung. That was back in the days when that kind of surgery was extremely rare, and there was not much in the way of treatments. People pretty much fended for themselves, and they either made it, or they didn’t. But since Grandpa believed in God as a healer, he had that extra Power to rely on, and he did make it. In fact, he lived more than two decades beyond that.
He spent his life farming and doing factory work, but by the time he was in his 60’s, that kind of work was beyond him, and he looked for something else to fulfill his work ethic. Our town had one Dairy Queen and another ice cream stand that was open during the summer only, but we had nothing like an ice cream truck that went around the neighborhoods offering treats. So my grandpa, innovative “free spirit” that he was, decided that, instead of growing old and run down, he’d start a brand new career. He created himself an ice cream wagon.
He bought a Cushman motorized cart (electric motor), mounted a freezer unit on the back and filled it with ice cream treats. He had to keep it plugged into an electric outlet overnight in order to charge the motor. He also mounted bells and a cassette tape recorder, from which he played children’s songs along the routes. From that point on, for many years, from May to September, he could be seen all over town spending his days with the kids, who affectionately called him “The Ice Cream Man.”
It was also during those years that he decided to take up the guitar – not learn to play it – just take it up. His youngest son was actually a musician with a band in northern Illinois, and the photo above shows Grandpa playing around with his son’s guitar. Though very old and worn, this photo is one of my favorites of my grandfather. It shows him at a big family picnic – looking again like the farmer he used to be – in his undershirt, suspenders, and hat – “goofing off” for his kids and grandkids. I personally think that this photo shows a man who refused to be bound up by a lot of social rules, and who lived his life as a “free spirit” to the best of his ability.
The Happy Wordcrafter 
The picture does convey the theme, but the story along with it was icing on the cake.
That’s very kind of you. Thank you for taking the time to visit and to comment.
Thank you for sharing your memories of your grandfather with us. A true free spirit.
I wasn’t sure if others would see him as fitting the theme or not, but to me he did. Thank you for taking the time to visit and share your thoughts on it.
You are very welcome 🙂
Nice post.
Thank you. It was a pleasure to share about my grandpa.
beautiful post Sandra, and great picture and memory… love the share..;)
Thanks, Gerry. Wasn’t sure if others would see it as fitting the theme, but it seemed very appropriate to me. Of course, I knew him well.
I LOVE this story, Sandra. What precious memories. ! of your grandfather. He sounds like a wonderful man, cantanerous and all 🙂
Thank you. I’m glad the story blessed you. And thank you for taking the time to comment.
What a wonderful spirited man!
Yes he was. Not many people in our extended family know this even today, but after my first marriage ended in divorce and my job situation was in critical jeopardy — due to a long distance to drive and no vehicle, my grandfather refused to let me resign and have to struggle to find another job. He stepped in and offered to drive considerable distances every day in order to help me keep a secure job until I could make other arrangements. It took about three months, but he never complained and never missed a day, even though he was about 70 years old. He also got aggravated at my mom and dad, shortly after I was born, for calling me “Sandy.” They told him they had chosen to name me Sandra so that they could call me Sandy. But he said that was a horrible name to tag onto a little girl, and he refused to call me anything except Sandra for many years. In fact, I think I was out of high school before he finally accepted the fact that I was called Sandy by everyone else, so he might as well stop fighting it.
aha, so do you prefer Sandy yourself?
It really never matters to me. I have friends that call me both. And if people treat me right, I answer to most anything.
I bet he had stories to tell, good stories.
Yes, and he had quite a talent for drawing as well. If I could have gotten into my stride before he died, we could probably have created some projects together.
Thanks for sharing the beautiful, simple yet amazing world of your grandfather. Stories like I truly admire and appreciate. We can all learn alot from the past , of how valuable inner pure spirit is.
Yes, and I’m very aware — most of the time — of how much I have in my and in my life that came from my fore-bearers. I owe them a lot.