What Was I Thinking?

I had a project that I talked about earlier.  I took all the doors down and repainted them and then replaced the hardware on each one.  It was definitely labor intensive!  Towards the end I have to admit that I was questioning my thought process!  But actually once the last door was repainted and rehung I knew why I had done what I did.  And I was glad that I didn't give up until the last door looked brand new. 

I grew up hearing stories about my Grandpa Hickey.  My mom adored him and although I was young when he died I have a few memories of how he made me feel when I visited him.  We lived across the alley from their house and my mom would put me in a dress and fix my hair in braids and send me over to visit.  I can remember knocking on the back door and my grandma would answer the door and bring me in the house.  We'd then go into his room and she would lift me up onto the bed and we would talk for a few minutes.  I did this a number of times before he passed away from pancreatic cancer.  One of the favorite story I heard my mom tell many times was how my grandfather would rent a house that was in need of a great deal of repair.  He would spend months planting grass, painting, and repairing things around the house.  When the grass had grown, the house was freshly painted, and everything working the way it was suppose to, the owner would come and tell them that they would have to move because someone in their family needed a house to live in.  Once they moved out a "for rent" sign went up in the front yard with a higher rent than my grandparents were paying.  In spite of that my grandfather did it again at the next house they rented.  The first house they actually bought was in the Alta Vista neighborhood just before my grandpa passed away. 

I have come to understand my grandfather much better now.  I didn't  just rent a house.  I wanted to rent a home.  Making it a home requires me to clean it up, spruce it up, put all my knick-knacks on the shelf and my family pictures on the wall.  It has to be a place that when I walk into I feel like I belong.  I don't plan to buy again and so I suspect that this won't be the first place that I move into and then get busy making it nicer than we found it.  I love that! 

I think the most important thing that I hope you each get out of this is that no matter where you are or what you are doing--make sure that when you leave, that it is better than when you found it.  My grandpa was a hard worker, a wonderful grandpa, and an inspiration to me.  I hope that you each can remember the good things each of your grandparents have done and emulate some of those qualities.  You have come from pioneer stock!