Impact

When I was young, I was concerned with making a living and providing for my family. I wanted a house, at one time I wanted 5 acres with a house on it. All these things have passed. My children are grown and making their own lives, raising their own children.  When you get older you wonder if you have had impact. If the number of my days was up tomorrow, would anyone miss me. I mean really truly miss me. I know family and friends will come to my funeral and perhaps some would visit my grave. But would any one truly miss me after I am gone.  I miss my grandfather, I wanted to be like him. I miss a friend named Wash, I miss him. He was a good friend. We went to dinner on Friday nights, him and Johnny and Myself. Nothing big, just friendship. He wasn't what I would call a real spiritual person, he was a Christian but he didn't preach to me. He was just my friend. I miss those Friday nights at Kings Table Buffet. He was 65 and Johnny was 55 and I was 45, going through my second divorce. He was my friend, and I miss him.  He tell the waitresses that we were brothers, and he would tease these young girls. He tell them things like I have a friend that is making movies and he is looking for someone just like you. They knew he was teasing.  My Grandfather was a happy old man even though he lived alone in his later years. I never considered him to be a spiritual giant or any thing like that, but he was content and happy. He'd play a trumpet or an organ and open his doors so the neighbors could hear. They wanted him to. He was content and happy.  I miss him and his smile.  I want people to miss me when I am gone. I want to live a life that impacts others in a good way. I don't want them to lie and just say nice things about me. But I want to live a life that someones sees something however small that they want that too. Grandfather has been gone for a lot of years but when I think about him, I miss him.  Wash has been gone for a lot of years also, but when I think of him, I miss him. My father-in-law, now he was a preacher. His last words to me were if you have any unfinished business, take care of it. I knew he meant spiritually. He tried to minister to people to his dying day. One person told about being in the hospital, and they heard this weird noise coming down the hall in the hospital as they lay their on their back recovering. A few minutes later as that weird noise came closer and closer, her was Papa Johns as we called him, pushing his walker ahead of him as he came to visit a friend in the hospital. I miss him, I miss the many talks we had as a son-in-law and Father-in-law before the first divorce happened and I went my own way. I called him a Texas Midget and I believe even though he had limited education as a country preacher, he was a spiritual giant. I miss him. He loved people and was genuinely concerned about where they would spend eternity. Yes, even his last words to me when he was in his late 80's showed his concern for me. I miss him.  There was a young couple not much older than I, that took me in when I was 18 and left home.  They impacted me for eternity. I don't see them much, we went to different churches later years and lived in different communities, but I will never forget what they did for me as a young man. All these impacted me in ways I will never forget. I miss each of these people, they impacted me.  God bless, LVZ.