I have a handful of days left of the North Dakota sunsets in this sweet place I’ve grown fond of to call my home. Tonight, I spent my time with my grandparents over a home cooked meal. Once again, something as simple as that may not seem like much to the ordinary person, but to me, hearing the voices of my loved ones gathered in one place was one of the best going away gifts I could ask for. I’ll admit, it was delightful because during this time of anxiety and stress it gave me comfort, but more importantly, I realized they were not only my foundation, but my future. I had convinced myself that I was not going to share any stories until I approached my new destination, but then my stubborn German grandfather inspired me to inspire you. So my first official story goes out to my Papa Ken. Although no miracles have happened in his life, I promise he’ll remind you to be grateful for what you have.
My Papa Ken is an astonishing individual. His roots sprouted on a family farm in the small town of Napoleon, North Dakota. He had four brothers and four sisters that he was blessed with, along with devoted Catholic parents who kept their heads on straight. Later on, in an unfortunate time, he lost his two eldest siblings to illness. (What’s absolutely ridiculous is that I hadn’t even known this until tonight. In todays society, we are all too caught up with what concerns ourselves that we forget to learn and love those around us. We forget how to communicate.) Time went on and all of the children of the family attended a small grade school. As my grandpa grew older his parents didn’t want him going to high school. They didn’t think it was necessary, they didn’t think the children had a future anywhere but on the farm. However, my grandpa had other plans for himself. He would sneak off and catch a ride with the neighbor kids to get a high school education, (one thing many of us are freely given yet disregard.) After graduation day, Ken stayed on the farm for four months until he packed up his things and started his career of welding. During this time, he had worked in Edgeley, North Dakota and met the love of his life’s father. I had always wondered how my Grandpa met my saint of a grandmother, and it surprised me when he had told me that her father had brought him home for dinner. As he would say,” We ate family dinner, and the next day we were datin’.”
That started the next chapter of his life. After marrying my grandmother, they moved to Kansas where they started a family of their own. Three beautiful boys were brought into their lives but times were tough. My Papa worked his tail off 24/7 but struggled to make ends meet. “We were starving there, we were starving, worried, and had nothing but Jesus. I decided that if we were starving, we could be starving in the place we came from.” My grandpa packed up his family in the first car he had ever purchased, with his savings of $500 dollars in his pocket, and took a leap of faith. In Fargo, North Dakota he landed a job as a sales rep selling farm equipment. They brought two more beautiful beings into this world and he then dedicated himself to that company for forty years until he was sufficient enough to start a company of his own; A dream which he had for his family. He always told those who surrounded him that hard work, family, and faith will bring one through anything in this life. He even stuck to that when God took the life of an angel on Earth, my grandmother. She was taken by gallbladder cancer when I was just three years old, but even then, my papa had told me how she sparkled smiles on faces everywhere she went. To this day he sees beauty in everything, but especially in health. His circumstances may have not always been ideal, but there is an incredible amount of courage in persevering through the darkness, and giving thanks to God in the glory of the light.
A gentleman that started out with nothing didn’t know what his future would hold, but by believing that God would carry him in the past, present, and future, is now the happiest gentleman I know. I am proud to call that gentleman my hero. He’s taught me right and wrong, he’s taught me a hard work ethic, he’s taught me how to have faith even when it’s more than difficult, but most importantly, he’s taught me how to love. Not just fuzzy feeling love, but selfless love and sacrifice for those who need it. As we said our goodbye, he handed me a crucifix that was my grandmothers and said,” Girl, don’t ever forget your faith.” I am who I am today because he left me the footsteps to a good life.
storiesofbeautifulpeople.wordpress.com 
