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THE GIFT
My grandfather was a
leprechaun
The first six years of my life
were spent
in his magic kingdom
A kingdom filled with love, joy
and delight
Bigger than life
he ushered me into this world
with his laughter, joy and
childlike spirit of awe and wonder.
How can I forget him knocking on the
dining room table and speaking
to Indian Joe and other mythical
characters who lived under the
table ~ while my brothers and
I squealed in laughter and delight.
Or truly becoming Santa Claus at
Christmas and filling my huge
heart with magic and joy
Or showering me with an unconditional
love so permanent and secure
that it still ticks within me, like his stately
grandfathers clock, scores of years after
his passing on.
I am so blessed to have experienced his
magnificent being and presence ~ even if
it was just for six short years.
For those six years were time enough to
build a solid foundation of love and knowing .
I knew I was loved
I knew I was special
I knew I was part of something far
greater than myself
And I knew I would eventually share
that knowing with the world.
I was thirteen when my
grandfather died ~ and
part of me died with him.
Not until I fully opened my heart
many years later ~ did I embrace
once again, that joyful, loving and
delighted child within myself.
My grandfather must have known
when I reconnected to my heart.
For my mother sent me a gift with
a note ~ " Here is a gold tie pin that
belonged to your grandfather "
I have always resisted wearing ties so
I took it to a jeweler and asked if he
would make it into a ring.
The Jeweler examined the Tie pin, smiled
and said ~ " This was a ring that was made
into a tie pin "
Of course, it was my grandfather's 33th degree
masonic ring which he proudly wore until
his death.
So now I proudly wear that same ring and my
son will eventually wear it proudly and know,
in his heart, that the gift I gave him is the same
gift my grandfather gave me ~
The gift of myself .
Allen L Roland
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