Grandpa

His hands are wrinkled,
fingers bent and pointing in ten different directions:
evidence of a lifetime of toil
from 6th grade until his 80's.
There wasn't anything in the world that could stop him from accomplishing what was necessary, whether that meant making sure the cows were milked or painting one of the hundreds of homes he was asked to paint.
He was given a choice, he'd tell you.
Way back when the majority of the pages to be written about his life were blank and held in the right hand instead of complete and held in the left.
The decision he had to make was to continue to go to school or to help his father work on the family farm.
His adolescent mind originally came to the conclusion that it would be best to work on the farm, what with all the girls chasing him around and bothering him at school.
It only took about a week, however, before questions as to the wisdom of his choice began to creep into his wondering mind.
He informed his dad that he had changed his mind and that he wanted to go back to school.
Upon hearing this, his father told him,
"No, son. You've made your decision and now you've got to stick with it."
With that one statement the path of his life was irrevocably set. Any aspirations he might have had were funneled into work on the farm and the eventual raising of his six children.
As a result of that one decision made so many years ago, he has lived his entire life within a 10 mile radius of the house in which he was born.
He was forced to develop a strong personality and iron self will with the line of work that he was in.
When he set his mind to a task, there wasn't a thing that he couldn't conquer.
As with many men of his generation becoming more elderly, the realization and idea that they are now increasingly unable to adequately care for themselves is a bitter pill to swallow.
So it is with my grandfather.
The swollen, strong hands that show the markings of manual labor are now unable to possess items which are rightfully his.
Hands that have been betrayed by a mind that has not aged as well.