An Oak of a Man
January 12, 2008 Inspiration
Today my family celebrated the life of Donald Haywood, my husband's larger-than-life grandfather who died Jan. 6.
In a lovely tribute to him my sister-in-law said he reminded her of a large oak tree with arms like strong branches stretched wide to embrace people. The description is perfect and beautiful as he was always giving big bear hugs and hearty handshakes to those of us who were privileged to have known him.
This man was cool for many reasons. He was an excellent storyteller and skilled maker of lovely cement bird baths and garden ornaments. He built several homes and businesses from scratch, but his greatest legacy will be the love he had for his family. Grandpa Haywood never missed a chance to tell the people in his family how proud he was of each of them.
"It's good to be family," he would say every time we assembled for family meals, back yard cook-outs and the annual July birthday and Christmas-in-October celebrations. And it was.
The sweetest part is that he loved his wife, Joan, dearly for 58 years. They rode a long journey together sharing their lives in good times and bad. Together they raised a family, owned several small businesses and traveled the globe. They also survived the death of their oldest son without letting bitterness steal their joy. Together they were a fantastic team.
And even though our hearts ache for the void Grandpa Haywood left behind, we're grateful for the time we had with him. He had a good run and lived a great life in his 80 years. He was a giant of a man who loved us like a giant oak.
* The painting at the top of this post is "Incised Tree" by Tom Casaletto. You can read more about him here.
|