My Papa As A Grandfather

Ever since I was a little kid I have always responded positively to music. It has consistently been my go to for personal expression. Whether it is listening or writing, I have always tended to gravitate towards different songs and rhythms as an emotional outlet. I believe some of my extended family is to thank for this way of thinking. My family on my Dad's side has always been very musically inclined. I remember as a young child I would go visit my grandparents in Louisiana, no matter what was going on I would usually end up in the back room where my Grandfather, “Papaw” kept all of his guitars and musical equipment. My Papaw is a fantastic, classically trained blues/ rock guitar player, and he never failed to show off his talents. For hours

The man I called papa was my grandfather, my mentor, and my friend. Always a great example for what exceptional leader was. With noble integrity and a unique sense of human responsibility, always taking care of others. He was always

I talk to him all the time on the phone. My grandfather introduced me to golf when I was very young. Golf is my biggest passion and we share that bond. He is the person I call whenever I need advice. My grandfather worked two jobs in order to provide for his family. That strong work ethic and determination are things I take away from him. He has had many different experiences in life. My grandfather is very open about the mistakes he has made. He loves sharing his experiences so that I am better prepared for things I will face in

My mom lost her mother at the tender age of five to uterus cancer. Her father wasn't in the picture any longer even though he lived in the same town. Abuelo Enrique would tell me some of the adventures that my mom got herself into, because of him I got to know my mom and I started to draw a picture of her, as a courageous young woman that would hit any guy that overpass with her or my aunt Pana (Abuelo Enrique's daughter). He would tell me these tales under a banana tree in his rocking chair with a glass of

However, one character in my life was never ordinary; in fact, he was the exact definition of extraordinary. My “papaw” became my favorite playmate, my other half, and my best friend. We were commonly referred to as "two peas in a pod" and " each other's pride and joy." I loved my grandpa in the deepest, most sincere way a young child could. As I grew older, my grandpa assumed the role of my confidant and supporter. When my grandmother would scold me or when my sister and I would argue, I knew that I could retreat into the loving arms of my grandfather. The only thing that he ever did to upset me was when he said, "When I go, I'll miss everyone, but I'll miss you the most, Bug." Little did I know, I would soon long to hear these

He would give his last dime in order to make me happy. We use to go to rodeos and fairs when I was much younger and he would make sure that I got everything that I wanted. He used to drop me to school and wait for me after sport practices. We would laugh at anything and everything. My uncle taught me almost everything I know from fishing by the lake to driving a truck on the highway. We would even go to church on Sunday and pray for him to be detached from his addition. He was my go to guy and then somewhere along the way he started drinking uncontrollably. He would then get arrested and have to go through treatment centers. He was a tormented spirit trying to deal with all his past choices and the consequences. He never seemed to get a break, always falling and having to pull himself out of one hole after another. He would say, “I can stop drinking anytime and I want to stop,” and there were times he did, but those times never lasted because when he would not drink, he had to deal with all of the thoughts going through his head. Coping with life was not a skill that he ever acquired. Uncle Louis would tell me how hard it was at these treatment centers and the many restrictions that would be placed upon him. He could barely talk to family and he always had lessons to complete. He could never get out of those places quick

My Papa is the type of person who always has a look like he knows something you don't, something you should know that he does. I always thought of my Papa as a person who made the most out of his life... but in a good way. The thing about my Papa is he can do just about anything he puts his mind to, which is why I chose him as my example for showing scholarship.

Grandma and Grandpa are probably some of the most amazing people in the world. I am really blessed to be so close with grandma and grandpa. Both distance wise and relationship wise. I don’t even know where to start. Between all the cooking lessons, rock shows, R.V. shows, birthdays, track meets, concerts, holidays, dinners, snakes, shopping trips and so on I have a lot of ground to cover in not a lot of time. I’ll start with the cooking lessons.

My Papaw, Ronald Christie Smith has inspired strength and in almost everyone he meets. Whether it be helping around in a lower class house as a kid, working for his family after his father's death, or even raising a family of six at such a young age, Ron has always been a major stronghold for his family.

I had such a amazing bond with him. I remember when I was young I would sit with him in the kitchen and eat apple slices and he would tell me some his childhood stories and I remember he would take me for long walks in the park. I was basically the sparkle in his eye. He did love his family with all his heart but I felt like I was his favorite granddaughter because I spent most of my time with him. Later as I got older he started having health issues like heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure do to his poor diet. Eventually he got heart surgery and medication to manage his diabetes. He was living with diabetes for quite a while and he managed , but his doctor was worried about him because work became stressful and it wasn’t good on his

My father is a hardworking man as well as a family man. He was a strong proponent of discipline for his children and expected us to be respectful and to obey the rules. My earliest memories of my father were him working at Louisiana Downs, during the racing season, as an assistant horse trainer and as a semi-truck driver during the down time. He would often take my older sister and me to the track or in the semi with him so we could work with him. He was well respected at the track and people were naturally drawn to him. It may have been his big smile, which he does not like to share in pictures, his stories, or his willingness to help others and the respect he expressed to others.

My great grandfather Bob Howell, who we called Papa Bob, was one of the greatest men ever in my opinion. He taught us many things, from how to treat one another to how to get through life accomplishing many things. Not too long ago he had experienced a fall. My cousins were outside doing yard work and had came in to get a drink, when the youngest heard someone. She saw papa Bob laying on the ground of his bathroom floor, and ran to get her sister. I got a call from her saying that she couldn 't get a hold of any of our parents. I started to panic and called my parents over and over until my dad answered. Papa Bob made it to the hospital, had scans done and got checked upped, but they said he was fine. As months went by he was never quite himself again, I blamed it on the fall secretly, but the doctors never found anything. It was getting worse and worse until he was put in the hospital. I knew his time was coming and I tried to spend time with him and listen to his stories when I could.

The Jenkins family is really, really big. I don’t know much of my family because we are spread out all over the world. I never got to meet my great, great, great grandmother but I did meet her husband. His name was john lashary Jenkins. I never really hung out with him but I did meet him and get to shake his hand and see him before he passed away. So I don’t know that much about him other than he had great kinds. His son which is my great, great and his daughter who is my great, great grandmother. I got to meet them and they are big soccer lovers it’s weird. So from them I just have my great grandfather and he had my grandfather who I’m going to share a story about. My grandfather is one heck of a man; I’ve never met a greater man in my life. Not even my father is more than a man then him.

When we were together we were invincible, us against the world. I’d look up to him, not only because he was 6’4, but because he was my grandpa. I have clear memories of him picking me up from school, playing old school reggae music during our adventurous car rides. We’d always sing along to our favorites, sometimes turn the music up so loud the people in the cars next to us could hear it. When I would visit his apartment, the familiar smell of drywall and pennies would fill the air. It was my hideaway, my home away from home. My grandpa collected pennies in water jugs. He would say that one day they’d be worth more than just pennies. I loved it there, not only because he had a freezer filled with many flavors of ice cream to which he would often say to me “you can have all you can eat” but because it was our time to bond. For five years it was my mom, my dad, and my grandpa helping me to grow. Those are my favorite people, my role models. Being around my grandpa brought me such comfort and joy.

“I can’t believe that’s true!” I exclaimed, my laughter echoing through the room. My grandpa and I had been chatting on the phone for the past half an hour. You would imagine a man his age would be boring and dull. However, he was quite the joker. At least with me, since I was, of course, his favorite granddaughter.