Back for the first time...

So, I have done an amazing job at keeping this thing going. You know, life can really get away from a person if they aren't careful to pay attention to each and every day. Sometimes its hard to fit new things into an already busy routine. Since I wrote my first blogs in February life seemed to speed up and it seemed like I was always in the middle of a whirlwind. I was driving to and from Raleigh and Jefferson (NC) once a week. I was leaving on Tuesday mornings and driving back on Thursday afternoons. All this was to finish a class at NC State University and close a chapter that I had been stuck on for some time. Well, long story short, I did graduate from NC State on May 9, 2009 with a Bachelor's of Science in Horticulture-Landscape Design and a minor in Poultry Science. It was a day that many had thought would never come. That day I spoke of my Granddaddy Gardner who passed away several years ago (he was a graduate of NC State as well). I had the pleasure of having a few long talks with him before Parkinson's took him away from us. He always spoke openly and honestly with poise and wisdom. At the time I was young and had made some mistakes and he told me, "We all know you are a bright boy, but I want to see you become a smart man. I want you to know that there are very few things in this world that can't be taken away from you. Knowledge is one of those things, but it must be earned. One of these days when you are standing on that stage receiving your diploma, hold your head up high and smile because you will have earned it. I'll be watching and smiling too."

As much as I would have liked for him to be there that day, I do know that he was smiling down on me. I think I miss him more each year because the older and wiser I become the more I realize how much enjoyed listening and talking with him. At that time I didn't "have" time to learn everything he had to teach. It is very easy for life to get away from us, but it is important that me take a little bit of time out of each day to tell those we love what they mean to us.

Here's to you Granddaddy, we will always miss you, but you are never far from our hears!