Grampa's House Needs Painting

Grampa’s House Needs Painting



Grampa’s house needs painting. The paint has started to peel off in some places.
Visiting Grampa and Gramma I overheard several of Grampa’s neighbors complaining because Grampa’s house needs painting.
“It’s a disgrace how they let it go. It sure is an eyesore to the community. You would think they would have some self-respect keeping their property up to keep the community respectful and not a dump.”
They continued on and on about how Grampa and Gramma were such a disgrace to the community making me so angry at them. How dare they talk about MY GRAMPA AND GRAMMA that way? My grampa and gramma are the greatest grandparents anyone could have. I am not about to let them get away with talking about MY GRANDPARENTS that way, grabbing a couple of dirt clods out of Gramma’s garden I took careful aim drawing down on the brassy one of the group I let the first dirt clod fly. Grampa intercepted it with his shovel. KABOOM! The dirt clod exploded in the air as the shovel slammed into it.
Grampa laid his shovel down coming over taking the other dirt clod away from me then picked me up. He went over to the patio sitting down in Gramma’s glider sitting me beside him looking very sternly at me. He started the glider.
With Grampa’s big arm around me, we sat for about fifteen minutes before Grampa’s face went from a rock to one of love. He picked me up sitting me on his lap.
“You know, young man, we aren’t to allow the actions of others to control the way we behave. I know what they said hurt you very much but by allowing it do so you let them have control over you and that’s not what we want. We need to show goodness and mercy to those who say something we don’t like. You know they don’t have all the facts about the matter and if they did it wouldn’t matter to them. We want to live a life of love, care, and mercy so others see God’s love for them through us. SO, no more dirt lobed at anyone, okay?” Grampa lovingly hugged me.
“Okay, Grampa, I won’t throw any more dirt clods.” I promised.
I visited Grampa’s in the fall when the leaves fell and the wind blew coldly. Grampa told Gramma they finally saved up enough money to buy the paint for the house. They were going to buy it that day and I could help pick out the colors.
I knew Gramma was a good painter and together we could make Grampa and Gramma’s house look just like a painting I saw at the museum when my school went there on a field trip. The painting had a lady and several children playing in a large field of flowers. It was a bright sunny sky shinning down on them and they were all wearing bright wide smiles. That would be perfect for Grampa’s house. I always smile when I find out I can go to Grampa’s house.
When I told my ideal to them they smiled saying it would be a nice way to paint the house except they didn’t have quite that much money or time to do such a beautiful painting. We decided on light blue with white trim for the house. Grampa told Gramma it would take nine gallons of paint to do a good job and he was thankful they were able to save the money by this time or they would have had to wait until spring to paint.
I didn’t say anything but secretly glad because once Grampa’s house is painted the neighbors will not be able to call Grampa and Gramma’s house “a disgrace to the community” any more.
We arrived at the department store finding a parking space. It was pretty far away from the store. Getting out I stepped in a mud puddle. Brrr, my foot got all wet. When Grampa picked me up out of the mud puddle Gramma noticed a hole in the bottom of my shoe and my pants legs were getting too short for me.
Gramma looked up at Grampa and he looked down at her while he cuddled me in his big strong arms. He smiled telling her, “With God’s help we can do the trim in the springtime.
Gramma didn’t say anything but a big smile on her face wrapping her arm in the crook of Grampa’s big arm as we went walking to the department store.
Taking off our coats inside the store we headed straight for the paint department. There was aisle after aisle filled with nothing but paint. There were small cans on the top shelves with all the colors of the rainbow. The cans got larger as the shelves came lower until gigantic five gallon buckets on the bottom shelves. We went up and down the aisles looking for the exterior paint. Once we found it, we looked for the certain blue we chosen. Grampa overheard a young couple with their little boy who was about my age as he placed the six cans of paint into the cart. The daddy was telling his son he was sorry, all the coats were too expensive and maybe Mommy could make some sort of patches to cover the holes in his coat. I looked at the little boy’s coat. It was too small for him and there were large holes in the sleeves.
Gramma looked up at Grampa and Grampa looked down at her and they both smiled at each other. Grampa said, “God willing.”
Gramma took me by the hand saying, “Let’s go look at some boots while Grampa finishes in the paint department.”
Gramma and I went off to the shoe department to find me a pair of boots and shoes. First I tried on some snow boots. As I stood there I knew there would be no snow drift too big for me and these boots to plow through. I wouldn’t even need Daddy’s help in the snow as I did now. I was plowing through the biggest, meanest looking snow drift when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked down to find Gramma stretching up to get me down from the shoe display.
“Are you plowing through snow drifts again?”
I smiled and shook my head yes.
“You may climb snow drifts later when we find the right ones for you,” Gramma said as she helped me down. “Walk up the aisle, turn around and come back so I can see if those are the right ones for you.”
I started up the aisle but only got half way when my legs started to get tired. They were so heavy I could barely lift my feet. Gramma came to the rescue. She picked me up placing me in the chair taking off the boots.
“Just as I thought, they are too heavy to wear for any length of time. It wouldn’t do to have you run out of steam in the middle of one of those gigantic snow drifts,” Gramma said putting the boots back on the shelf.
After trying on several different pairs of boots, Gramma and I found just the right pair to keep me warm this winter. We also found a nice pair of shoes for me. I was putting back on my shoes when Grampa arrived with the cart of paint. There was something wrong. I only counted three cans of blue paint in the cart. When I asked Grampa about it, all he told me was, “God willing it will be enough.”
As we went to the boy’s department we saw a mother with a little girl and a baby. The mother was looking at some thin baby blankets. The little girl’s spring jacket was too light for this cold weather.
Grampa looked down at Gramma and Gramma looked up at him and smiled. She took my hand saying Grampa would catch up with us after he finished up there.
Gramma and I got to the boy’s department and she had me start trying on different kinds of jeans. Gramma had picked out three pairs of jeans for me when Grampa arrived with the cart. Something didn’t quite look right but I didn’t know what so I didn’t say anything.
When we got to the checkouts Grampa placed my boots, shoes and jeans on the counter BUT NO PAINT! I stared at the cart but there was only our coats left in the cart. I glared madly at Grampa. He had enough money for the paint when we came in to the store. What had happen? What had he done with it? Had some large mean thief stolen the money away from Grampa when he was in the paint department? No, Grampa wasn’t hurt or ruffed up so that wasn’t it. Did he have holes in his pockets where the money could have fallen out? No, Gramma made sure no one she loved ever went around with holes in their pockets. SO WHAT HAPPEN? Now the neighbors will continue to call Grampa’s house, “a disgrace to the community.” Didn’t he care what people thought about him?
Big tears started to well up in my eyes as Grampa paid for my clothes. Grampa noticed the tears when he was putting my new shoes on me. He took out his large handkerchief wiping away the tears. I asked Grampa what happen to the paint. All Grampa said was, “God willing we’ll paint the house in the springtime.”
I was still sad walking out to the car when I noticed the young couple with their little boy in the daddy’s arms going to their car. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The little boy had on a brand new warm winter coat and he kept laughing and covering his daddy in kisses of thanks. Grampa and Gramma smiled at each other and kept on walking.
We were almost to our car when we went by the mother and her children. The little girl had on a brand new winter coat also. The baby was wrapped up in a big warm fluffy blanket. I looked up at Grampa but he was looking at Gramma. She had the same big smile on her face as Grampa had on his. I kept thinking about the people who didn’t have any money for the things they needed and Grampa had money for paint but didn’t buy any.
As Grampa picked me up taking me over the mud puddle I looked down at my new shoes and the sack that Gramma was carrying holding my new clothes in it. Grampa opened the car door placing me in the seat making sure my seat belt was fastened. He then gave me the sack to hold while helping Gramma in the car. Gramma gave Grampa a kiss on the check and said, “God willing.”
He smiled kissing her back with, “God willing,” as he closed the door.
As he walked around the front of the car to get in I looked at my shoes then at Grampa and then at my shoes again. As Grampa got in the car I realized what Grampa had done with the paint money. It made me proud he was my grampa and I understand NOW what Grampa and Gramma meant when they said, “God willing.”

From now on when I hear the neighbor talking about Grampa and Gramma’s house being a disgrace, I WILL KNOW BETTER and God willing, Grampa’s house will be painted in the springtime.
Copyright 2003