John Harrington Rosser

My grandfather died this morning. He was an amazing man. I think if a dictionary was all pictures, you'd see his picture next to love. He was the best example I've ever seen of how to love others. He and my grandmother were married for almost 60 years. I've been able to witness it for the last 30. I didn't know it when I was a kid, but as I grew up, I watched how he handled other people. He always had a quick smile, sometimes indicating something mischevious was about to happen. He disciplined in love (although I was too stubborn to see it when I was younger). He and my grandmother always made sure each of their 7 grandkids felt like the only one he had. I am the oldest grandkid. The youngest is not quite 13. There's competition in a lot of families amongst kids and grandkids to be the #1 loved kid. I have always felt like I was #1 in their book. But, I know all of my cousins feel the same way. I don't know many people who can share their love that equally.

My grandfather taught me a lot of things in life. When I was really little, he was the first to show me what real cooperation was about (although I'm pretty sure I was the one trying to do the teaching, having told him if he'd just cooperate with me, we could have the leaves raked up much easier). Before duct tape caught on as the master "fixer up" tool, he taught me in his woodworking shop out back behind the house that there's nothin in life a little glue won't fix. I had trouble saying glue and since then, our family joke has been "a little 'woo' will fix it". He showed me how to peel a green grape and make it an eyeball to scare someone. He tried to teach me how to garden (it's a lesson I never quite mastered). He taught me the importance of making time for people even when you feel like you don't have the time. He made sure he attended graduations from high school, college and a late visit after law school. But most importantly, he showed me how to love. I'm pretty sure he didn't even know he was teaching the most important lesson - learning to love unconditionally is hard. I'm not sure I'll ever master it, but I had the best example in my grandparents.