Today is Pappaw Conville's 87th Birthday. WOW-say is slow and think about it for a moment. He has been here on this terrestrial ball for 87 years-31,778 days-or 762,672 hours. A LONG TIME!
Pappaw is quite a character. Whenever the family gets together, there are always Pappaw stories. He has a very high regard of his opinion on any given subject and a endless inventory of stories and a propensity to reminisce. In short-THE MAN LOVES TO TALK and BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION!
He often starts talking to us by saying-"Have I ever told you the story about-------fill in the blank" If you DARE to say yes, he then questions you about details of the story and if you cannot answer the questions correctly-he then proceeds to tell you the story again since obviously you don't remember it very well. We have learned to just listen to the story-again- for he is going to tell it one way or another.
At the ripe of age of 87, he still works in his barber shop for half a day, five days a week. Bobby & I often laugh to ourselves and say he just needs a few hours away from Nannie everyday. He is steadily losing his clients, as he is out-living them all. Bobby asked him this past Sunday if he wanted to retire. He once again told him, "You take care of your investing business and I will take care of my barbering business." I suspect that he will be behind that barber chair as long as he is able to stand.
This past Saturday, Pappaw was telling me that his shoulder hurt when he turned over in bed. He broke that arm this past year when he fell. I told him that I was sure he now had arthritis in it since he had broken it. He told me, " No, I don't have arthritis." When I asked how he knew he didn't have it, he pulled this buckeye out of his pocket and said, "Because I carry this buckeye and it keeps me from having arthritis." I cracked up! He didn't laugh-he is convinced he does not have Mr. Arthur and I will never prove it otherwise.
Pappaw has a very tender heart and is a "Great Man of God". He taught Sunday School at the Ruston State School (institution for mentally handicapped) for 46 years. He was a fixture on the same row, same seat at the FBC of Simsboro twice on Sundays and Wednesday night and any other time the doors were open. He is concerned about the spiritual condition of his children and grandchildren and a wonderful prayer warrior for us all. He knows where he is going when his life on this earth is over, but he will quickly tell you he is in no hurry to leave here.
One thing I have learned watching Nannie, Pappaw and Momma is that growing old is not for the faint of heart. I don't know if I have the stuff to go there, but Pappaw relishes each and every day and looks forward to the days to come. Pappaw Conville is definitely quite the man! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Pappaw!
3 comments:
I hope I live that long!!! My grandmother turns 82 this year and you would NEVER know she is 82. One of her life long friends died this weekend. She barely has anyone left her age. People always say those are your golden years but I have renamed them "The Prozac Years".....because you will have to be on prozac to not be depressed when you are watching everyone drop around you like flies.
Bless his heart...apparently, BC comes from good stock; but, we knew that, didn't we...
Happy 87th to Mr. C. He has a sweet face....remember seeing him at Grace and thinking...now there is a sweet man.
Seems like BC is a chip off the old block....does he carry the buckeye, too?
My step grandmother was 106 when she died and needless to say she was ready to go. She never thought about her age....just plugged on as if she was still young. She slowed down big time after she turned 100, but before that she was still shoveling snow off her porch roof at 98!!!! Just unreal! Wish I had those genes.
Post a Comment