I just got an email…from some woman that I didn’t know…with the title…I desperately need your help!
I marked it as read…and…deleted it…without reading…
But…something about it…made me think of my granddaddy…no…he never had 
email…never dreamed of it…I’m sure…he died in 1966…
So…what made me think of him…well…it was one of those altered thought process things…that went from…this is a scam…to…somebody’s just trying to get my banking information…to…what if they really needed help…to…it’s a shame you can’t even try to help people anymore…to…Granddaddy…used to try to help everybody…
A little history on Granddaddy…before I was born…he was a farmer…and…owned the gin…and the John Deere dealership…but…he had a stroke…and was parlayed on the left side…I never remember him walking without a crutch…which he also used to swat at misbehaving grandchildren…but…never me…but I digress…
At some point…he was able to drive again…by using this special knob on the steering wheel…and…since he couldn’t walk the farm anymore…he used to drive it…and…we being children…used to love to go with him…especially…when he would go to Mallard Creek…to feed the cows…
Going to Mallard Creek…was quite the adventure…it was about twenty miles from home…when we got to the river…as we called it…he would start blowing his horn…and cows would come a running…they knew he was bringing goodies…
But…as neat as all that was…the most interesting part was…to my knowledge…he never passed by a hitchhiker…he always picked them up…and…it seems…there was always…someone walking somewhere…
He…it was always a man…would climb into the front…as we huddled…embarrassed…in the backseat…and then…the inquisition would begin…it was always the same…what’s your name…who’s your daddy…hmmm…that almost sounds like song lyrics…where do you work…how much do you make…are you saving any money…
Now…the point of…who’s your daddy…was…that we usually ended up being kin to them…or very nearly kin…which just meant…we knew their kin…and…if they weren’t working…he’d try to help them find some work…there was always something to do on the farm…if they weren’t saving…they get a bit of a lecture…not too harsh…just a reminder…
It was a fascinating process…
I never heard of my grandparents turning anyone away…who needed a helping hand…Mother often talks of different men…who lived with them…and worked on the farm when she was young…because they didn’t have a place to stay…
I can’t imagine…that a plateful of home cooked food…wouldn’t be handed to anyone…who was hungry and knocked on the door…
It was a different time…a different way of life…of course…there were shysters…snake oil salesmen…even then…but…those weren’t the stories that I grew up with…I grew up with stories of neighbors helping neighbors…making it through the depression…making it through world wars…just making it…
So…I have to ask…would Granddaddy…have opened that email…would he have replied…would he have started the inquisition…or…would he have…clicked…delete…
And…I know…without a doubt…as generous…and curious…as he was…as much as he wanted to help his fellow man…or woman…he…would…have…clicked…delete…because…he was a businessman…he expected people to work for the help that they received…he was nobody’s fool…
Jane
You know you’ve made it when the spammers find you… LOL!!!
Totally right there with you on this. Any of that stuff gets deleted. People who REALLY want to help themselves don’t send e-mails with dramatic subject lines… just sayin.
Ahhh…Jenn…then I made it a long time ago…I’ve always gotten those kinds of emails! I haven’t read them in years…just straight to the trash…LOL!
How nice of you to share about your grandad, complete with photo. Psst I’m glad you didn’t open the spam email!
Christy…I’m glad you enjoyed the post…he was quite a man. I learned a long time ago…don’t open the email…now…that makes me think of the crazy people on scary movies…who open the basement door…LOL!
Again…kindred spirits. I loved reading about your GrandDaddy. And where I come from, we still ask who’s your daddy, for the same reason. I find I still do it even though I’ve lived in “the city” for 30 something years now. City people look at me strangely when I do it, but I never understood why until today! They don’t ask…it makes no difference to them. I loved this post.
Thanks Peggy…always kindred spirits! The funny thing is…both of my sisters remember one account that I didn’t…and that was when he asked some man…is your daddy the one that’s in jail…did he really steal that money…
It is funny…when I did Home Health Nursing…I did the same thing…that’s how I bonded with my patients…I called it striking up kin with them…because…they usually knew one side of my family or the other…and…sometimes…we really were kin…LOL!
wow I love the new page look!! blog was great Id hit delete also
Thanks…Cathy…Rebbekah did a great job with the site…and…I knew that you wouldn’t fall for it…either…LOL!