By Joel Smith
Dedication:
For my Grandpa Bill Blessman, who chose to pass on his 89th birthday, May 26th 2021.
My Grandpa left an indelible imprint on my life and ancestry forever and more. My childhood memories will always be interwoven with visits with and my Grandmother in Duncan on Quamichan Lake. As I grew older, I harvested the gifts he continued to bestow upon me. In his later years I was left with a legacy of which I will never forget. In the weeks before he passed, I wrote a letter and gave it to him along with a crystal for my final visit. I believe his last words to me were – “think of me always” RIP Grandpa…I love you.
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Dearest Grandpa,
Before coming to see you, I was up in Port Hardy helping my reiki teacher Grandmother Kaariina move into her new home and started a garden for her. I shared with her Roy Orbison and we listened to his songs through the week while I shared the importance of you in my life. You have been, as grandparents can be, a profound influence to me. I have learned a lot from you.
In the early days when Nathan and I would visit you up at Quamichan Lake, you taught me the value of hard work as we cut down willows in the swamp. I learned about the rewards that come with seeing things to completion as we enjoyed your famous ginger ale floats after work. I remember one time I skipped out on work and I didn’t get my float – that didn’t happen again! The lesson of reaping what you sow has been in action for me over the last couple years working on a farm and caring for several acres of gardens.
You also taught me of the value of keeping an open mind and living with imagination. I think I was 12 or 14 years old when you told me about lucid dreaming and how you had opened your arms and during a dream. I tried for weeks using the tools you gave me until finally I was awake in a dream and flew up toward the dream sky. What a gift that was! Another time you told me of using dowsing rods by the swamp and finding your glasses – albeit unintentionally. These little bits of curiosity have added sparks to my life that I otherwise would not have had if I hadn’t learned to live with an open mind. Indeed, there is much more to this world that what we see with our two eyes.
Several years ago, you sent me a birthday card and wrote on it “Do not be too concerned with the answers. Ask questions, and live in the inquiry.”
What wisdom was in that. My life has been infinitely enriched by living in a contemplative way, a contented way. Being contemplative and asking questions allows me to ask “what gifts did Grandpa give me?” and to be able to share this. These are some of the ways you have positively impacted my life….of course there is so much more. The memories seem endless, here are a few
- watching and enjoying hockey games
- Having picnics at Williams park and many other places around Duncan and the Cowichan valley
- working in the swamp and canoeing on the lake
- walking the railroad to the trestle
- Dinners on the sundeck
- When you took Nathan and I to Basketball camp at a young age
- Long and interesting stories and conversations in the living room
- Tim Horton’s and your cousin Harry
And so much more. All of these memories and lessons will carry me through my life and perhaps one day I will be as wise as you are now. You can find me by the waters, in the garden, or on the basketball court.
Until next time, I love you.
Joel