Life's Lessons

I have been doing a lot of soul searching this weekend.  Lindsey and I lost a friend that was near and dear to our hearts this past week.  Harold Petersen was our Realtor and so much more.  8 years ago, when Lindsey and I moved back to Reinbeck from Kansas City, we met Harold.  We looked at dozens of houses and acreages with his help, trying to find the right one.  Harold became a good friend very quickly, he was an 80 year old that skipped around like he was a teenager!  He was infectious, always so happy and full of life.  He never hesitated to give us his advice or tell us that "this isn't the right place for you two".

Finally after weeks of searching, Harold showed us a little old house in town.  It wasn't at all what we were looking for.  It needed a ton of work.  It was dirty, smelly, and gross.  The funny thing was, Harold knew it was the right place for us!  It took us a little while to realize it, but we came around.  Harold had already contacted the owner and had it set up that we would buy the house on contract for what most of our friends were paying for their vehicles.  It was under $30,000 with a payment of $300 per month!  Seriously, I miss that house payment!

With a month or two of elbow grease and about a $15,000 investment, we turned that dump into a beautiful home.  Harold would skip up the sidewalk at least once or twice a week to check on our progress.  He was so proud of us for getting it fixed up so nice.  We lived there almost 3 years and had our first two babies in that house.  All the while Harold would visit at least once a week.  He "adopted" us as his own.  And we adopted him too... he was and always will be "Grandpa Harold" to my family.

Once our family began to grow, Harold helped us search yet again for the "right" house.  Just like the first time, we got to visit dozens of houses with Grandpa Harold, and just like before, he was never shy to tell us why the place we were looking at was not the right place for us.  I must admit, at times it was frustrating, but he always knew best.  After searching high and low for the right place, it appeared that it might be just as economical to build a house.  We thought we had it all figured out, and planned to go with a lumber yard from a nearby town.  Harold was right there to point out our mistake, he had us talk to his son at the hometown lumber yard, and once again Harold steered us in the right direction!  He kept close track of us while building and moving into the new place.  He was so happy for us.  Our friendship only grew over the past 3 or 4 years.  There were many visits, dinners, and tons of conversations about life's lessons.  We always knew that Harold had the best intentions for our family, and his advice over the years is truly why we are now living in a beautiful new home!

Our Grandpa Harold passed away last Wednesday.  His funeral was on Saturday, and Lindsey and I learned even more from this dear friend this weekend.  What became apparent to us on Saturday was that we were not the only family whose lives he had touched.  Harold had such a knack for making you feel special.  He and his wife had 7 children, dozens of grandchildren and even a bunch of great-grandchildren, but yet found time to be our Grandpa too!  What I found out this weekend was that everyone in town felt the same way about Harold as Lindsey and I did!  How could he possibly have had time in the day to touch so many lives?  It was truly an honor to have known him.  I am so proud that we were honorary "grand kids" to Harold.  My family will always remember the special bond that we had with this great man.  Rest in peace Harold.  It is so sad for everyone left behind, but it is easy to find peace knowing that you and your wife Pat are dancing together again in Heaven.

So here is the question that keeps running through my head this weekend... have I done everything in my power to touch as many lives as Harold was able to touch?  What will my legacy be?  What will yours be?  As Lindsey and I drove home from the funeral, we had the Christian rock channel on, and a song (not even sure who sings it) came on... the lyrics caught my attention ... "this is your life, are you who you want to be?"

I can't get those lyrics out of my head.  I feel like I try really hard to be the best father I can be.  I try to be a great husband.  I try.  But in the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, blackberries, emails, phone calls, deadlines, etc. I sometimes lose sight of what really matters.  Thank you Grandpa Harold for setting me straight yet one more time.  I pray that I can stay this focused on what is really important in the days to come... Faith, Family, Friends, Serving and Helping Others...

For my post today, I leave you with the lyrics in my head "This is YOUR life, are YOU who you want to be?"

Michael