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Lessons Learned From
 "GRANDPA'S KEYS"
I found this inspiring story and have started to collect keys for my children along with this story beings their Grandfather is no longer with us to share his inspirations and lessons learend
Key image from ufomag
When I was a young boy about
ten years old I used to visit my Grandpa and Grandma.
Grandpa would sit and tell
stories about when he was young.
Most of all I remember what
looked like a hundred keys that Grandpa had hanging on a nail at the
back door. Grandpa had fashioned a piece of wire into a large loop
with a clever hook that held the loop together much like a safety
pin. All the keys were hanging from this wire loop.
Grandpa would put a towel on
the kitchen table and I would take all the keys off the wire and
line them up on the towel. Grandpa would caution me not to lose any
of his keys.
I would organize all the keys
into groups of similar looking keys and keys of the same color. He
had some long black keys that looked like a nail with a round end
and long black teeth on the other end.
He would pick up each key and
gently rub it between his finger and thumb and explain about each
key.
"This one is for the front door
of the house. This is the one to the house where your mom and dad
lived before you were born.
"This is the key to my mothers
house, your great grandmother, before it burned down 25 years ago."
"This is my skeleton key" he
would say with a smile. I loved my grandpa very much, but I was not
about to ask any questions about his skeleton key.
Grandpa also had some brass
keys which he studied with his keen eyes. "This is the key to my old
Ford that wore out many years ago. "
This is the key to the
Oldsmobile that I drive now, and this the key to the trunk of my
car. This is the key to the car that Grandma used to drive, and this
is the key to the garage." Grandpa never does lock the garage
though.
Grandpa lovingly studied more
keys. "This is the key to the storage shed. Sometime on Sunday I go
over to the church to start the furnace, so this is the key to the
church."
Then grandpa picked up a
strange looking key and smiled. "This is a skate key. This is the
key to my bicycle lock." Grandpa had not had a bicycle in over 30
years and who knows when he used to skate.
Then Grandpa picked up the
strangest looking key I had ever seen. "This is not a key at all."
he laughed, "It is a wrench for tightening up my bicycle
spokes."
"This is the key to the office
building where I used to work, this is the key to the front door of
the office, and this little key fits the file cabinet there."
Grandpa retired 15 years ago.
Grandpa then picked up about 20
keys from the table and explained "These keys are LFL keys." Then he
smiled and explained LFL meant long forgotten locks.
Grandpa also had another ring
of keys that were hung very high on the back door frame. These keys
were much larger, the ring was gold in color and the ring was welded
so it could not be opened to remove keys. Grandpa explained that
these keys were hung on the highest point on the door because they
were the most important keys of all and are not to be played with
because they were so valuable. He said when I got older he was going
to give me those special keys.
Each key was about 5 inches
long and had words printed on them. Grandpa told me that the special
keys were the keys to everything important. These are the keys of
life and the keys to Heaven. The wording on key keys must be
studied, lived and its message imprinted in your brain and branded
into your soul.
Grandpa lived up to his
promise. On my eighteenth birthday I went to visit Grandma and
Grandpa. He tenderly handed the keys to me. When I studied the keys
I realized what my Grandpa meant when he spoke of the
keys.
The 1st key
was gold in color and the most important of all the keys. On one
side it said "LOVE".
On the other side it said "Love of God, fellow man, friends, family
and children, Love of country, Love of God's creations and Love of
God's unfortunate souls".
The 2nd key
and all of the other keys were silver. On one side it said
"FORGIVE" . On the other side it said "Forgive your
enemy, forgive those who do you harm, forgive those who say and do
unkind things to you or about you".
The 3rd key
said "PATIENCE". On the reverse side it said "Patience of people,
traffic, long lines, those who fail to show patience and patience
toward children, old people and the handicapped.
The 4th key
said "UNDERSTANDING". Try to see the other side of the
issue"
The 5th key
said "HAPPINESS". Be happy even in adversity. Remember every cloud has
a silver lining and as the cloud passes the sun will shine
again.
The 6th key
said "THANKFUL". Be thankful for all you have and do not be saddened
by the things you do not have.
The 7th
key said "INDUSTRIOUS". Remember if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing
right, and a honest days work for an honest days
pay".
The 8th key
said "CLEANLINESS". Keep your body and your mind clean. Cleanliness is
next to Godliness".
The 9th key
said "HONESTY". Be truthful at all times and remember some of the
worst lies are shrouded in silence".
The 10th key
said "EDUCATION". Learn to be all you can be. Do not let your mind go
to waste".
Now, I'm the grandpa and
although I do not have as many keys as my Grandpa had in his
collection. The most important keys are hung on the highest point of
my back door. When my first grandchild reaches her eighteenth
birthday I will tell her about my Grandpas key and how she and her
family should live by the keys message. I will ask her to pass them
to her oldest grandchild.
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This Inspiring Story Told by: Gramma
Johns
My Father's
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