I Wanna Be Like Him!

So which Elvis do you like better?  Young Elvis who made the cheesy movies or the old one who wore the jumpsuit with the huge belt buckle?  Nah, I'm not really talking about Elvis (but the younger version was WAY cooler).

I'm really talking about those in our lives who impact us the most. They help shape our beliefs and inspire us to be better than we are. Take some time today and think about that and don't be shy about letting them know you appreciate them!

For me, it all starts with my Grandad Johnson. I don't know that I would even have enough room on this blog to share everything this man has meant to me throughout my life...and you would probably fall asleep before you finished reading anyway...so to quote Inigo Montoya, "There is too much. Let me sum up."

My Grandad is first a Godly man. From him, I learned about prayer and about service. He was always a leader, someone that everyone else respected. I especially remember a time when I got to go with him to deliver a meal to a church member who was ill and couldn't get out. We weren't there more than 10 minutes and he didn't say a word about why we were doing it, but I still remember how good it felt to help someone in need and how much I learned from him that day.

I learned to work hard. He worked for many years on the graveyard shift at The Oklahoman getting newspapers out the door for delivery. He also did small engine work on the side, grew and tended a garden every year, did the yard work, hung the window air conditioners in late srping, crawled under the house to light the floor furnace each fall, etc...you get the point.

I learned to laugh often. Even to this day, he always has a couple of jokes to tell you. When I step back and just think about my Grandad, I smile. It isn't often that he doesn't have a smile on his face. I remember him dressing up like a lady and showing up at a church function...couldn't tell what the occasion was, but I remember that everyone laughed until they cried. He taught me that you should never take yourself too seriously and that true joy in your heart can't be faked.

I learned about marriage. He loves my grandmother with all of his heart. You can't be around them very long without knowing that to be true. They, for me, are the picture of the kind of marriage God wants us all to have. Sure, they don't always get along but it's never very long before they are smiling and laughing again and giving each other a smooch! I want very much for Suzanne and I to be that happy for that long.

I love you Grandad. Thank you for being my example and inspiration!