Hello gents. I haven't posted in quite a while, and I know it's an older thread, but just had an experience I wanted to share, and this seemed the right place. You see, my grandfather passed away May 27th, the day before my oldest son's wedding, at the age of 89 years. I grew up with Grandpa Leo as my hero, the man who could do anything. The survivor of the Dust Bowl, in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the 30's, as well as the Great Depression. The army Corporal during WWII, who was a boxer with a short temper, who then boxed in prison after he put his sergeant in the hospital, for calling him an "SOB" (you couldn't speak I'll of his mother. Long story). He raised five children, including my mother, and lived to see his own great-grandchildren, but, finally, his body had enough of the hard work, and now he's gone.
This weekend, my family and I took the opportunity to visit my widowed grandmother, and while we were there, she asked me if I'd like to look in Grandpa's drawer, and choose a keepsake. I didn't want to rummage through Grandpa's things, but she really seemed to want this, so I agreed. She opened his sock drawer, and a hundred little items, most of which I'd seen him use during my childhood, on camping trips and family events, we're spread out before me. I handled a few of his belt buckles, cufflinks, and trinkets, even a pocket knife or two, swallowing a lump in my throat, when I caught sight of something a little different. It was a small, unusual looking knife, that I'd seen grandpa use, but never really noticed. I picked it up and turned it until I could read the engraved script: Made in USA by The Christy Co. Fremont, Ohio. Immediately, I remembered Jackknife talking about this little knife, even telling one of his "tales" about it, and instantly, I had a connection with this little, simple pocket knife, which grandpa obviously appreciated, judging from the wear on the blade. I asked my grandmother if she would mind if I kept this as my keepsake of Grandpa. She said she thought he'd like that. Now I'm back at home, unpacked from our trip, holding a little knife in my hand, and remembering.
