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Memoir of My Grandfather
Memoirs of My Grandfather
My grandfather was a very strict. At the time when I was living in my grandparentӮs house, I feared being seen by him. My grandfather was not someone to be scared of but to me as a young child, he was scarier than most teachers. I was not frightened by his looks or actions but rather because of his powerful force. When he spoke he was very firm and unlike most grandparents he strictly blamed my brother or me when we did anything wrong. He was strong, intelligent and a man of dignity. When I finally grew up to know the greatness of my grandfather, it was too late. He was in another world.
When I first read the phrase ӡThey donӮt make men like that anymore,ӱ the glimpse of my grandfather appeared for a few seconds. After I heard about the life of my grandfather, I could not find any man who lived a more honorable life although the start was not so good. In fact, he was born in an extremely poor family that he could not get high school education until he was 3 years older than the actual freshman age. Even then, he worked as a house boy in the American army to earn money to go to school. By the work of blood and sweat, he successfully graduated high school and got accepted in the Naval Academy going through many hardships. He received years of education supported by the Academy and become a proud engineer in the Navy. Later on, he was finally able to build the first battleship of South Korea and was awarded the official post, commodore. Then he was finally able to feel the calmness in his life. However, unfortunately, at the age of 74 he passed away tragically because of Alzheimer disease.
When my grandfather was alive, he used to say to me ӡGo to bed at 10 and wake up at 6.ӱ I was 10 when he said this to me. By then, I really thought he had no concept about that I was too young to do that, but I was wrong. I truly regret not listening to his words. I thought he was expecting too much for an elementary school student but he wasnӮt. He thought that I should sleep 8 hours but wake up early in the morning. Several years later now I try to change my routine but I keep failing. I would have been much more successful as a student if I had listened to his 7-seconds phrase. He was giving me advice through his life. It was really a ӡsimple lessons from a simple manӱ which was probably more precious than those of the president because simple lessons are what we can achieve by ourselves and also they are more practical.
The time when I lived with my grandfather, he felt like a ghost to me; scary but unknown. I did not have much talk with him. Nevertheless, secretly, I admired him very much. I was always proud that my grandfather was such a great man. When I heard that he has Alzheimer disease, I was really shocked. The more shocking part was my grandmother, uncle or aunt was just leaving grandfather alone because they cannot handle him. There was no gratitude or respect left for him unlike the past but just like the selection. Then, not so long after I heard the news, it was all over. I saw the last of him in the hospital and said nothing to him as if I were waiting for him to wake up. His handsome face was no longer recognizable due to the brain surgery. I was dumbfounded.
”°God give you a good day, grandfather”± would have been the most appropriate words to say. My grandfather needed good, peaceful days. No surgery, no screaming, no conflicts”¦ He deserved to have them. After reading the short memoir of Anaya, I was able to feel his longing and his wish for the new era. The author was trying to say one thing; the old values may seem old but they have the truth about the world. A new world has opened but nature stays same. Those who came before us know the law of nature, the eternal truth. When I finished the memoir, I was able to feel the chills coming up.
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