I sure miss them !

[Flagmanonice]

Dave and Lou , Both of your stories kept me glued to the screen ! , The love for your lost one was deeply felt each time you told about their doings , and their teachings that they past on to you , and then you passing them on down to your friends and loved ones. I think in each story we read , we see ourselves in a simalar situation sometime in our own lives , with so many people involved. I , myself, hav'nt lost a parent , or anyone that was that special person in my life, My grandpas both died when I was too young to remember much, but I have a man that I would almost call my gramps , let me tell you about him ! His name is Fred , a Quiet, but very talkable man of 84 . Fred grew up near Nimrod Minnesota where his father was a farmer/logger back at the turn of the century. He told me of the hard times they encountered back when he was a kid, and how they moved to Oregon to find a better life. It wasnt long before they moved back to the better life they knew before back in Nimrod. He told me how his dad took him over to the other side of the creek, just to show him a pair of deer tracks ! you see, there wasnt many deer around and that was the first track he saw at the age of 12 ! He told me of the big fire that had started 150 miles away , and burnt all the way down to S.W of Nimrod, he showed me trees that were scared by the fire , and about the elk antlers that were found when they opened up a new field for the first time. I got to meet Fred about 6 yrs ago , back when I was looking for places to hunt bear , and since then, we've become good friends. I feel guilty now thinking about it, that I see him almost everyday during the fall , but my work and family keep me away for the rest of the year , except for those once in awhile visits when I'm up that way ! One of these days , I'm going to get a phone call , and his wife will tell me that he is gone, and I will regret that I should have made time for my friend that I considerd my gramps ! But from your stories Dave and Lou , Im going to make a point of visiting Fred more often, Thanks for opening my eyes before it was to late !!!

Flagmanonice.................P.S..... Yesterday, while visiting my in-laws grave site, My daughter asked me why there was some stones that had no flowers, we explained that maybe they did'nt have family living close by , or that all their family and friends were in heaven too ! She came back and said that it would be nice if next year, everyone in our family would pick someone that doesnt have flowers , and we each (adopt , my term ) would bring flowers to them every year . We could do research and find out more about this person and get to know something about each one !!
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