Have you ever heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, that does not only apply to books. You see, my dad made the decision that he wanted to get remarried and honestly, I was perfectly fine with that. I really liked the lady he was planning to marry and I was just glad he was soon to be happy again. However, there was more to that addition to the family than just a new step mom.

I flew up to Nashville Tennessee to attend and be a part of my dad’s wedding, and the evening before the wedding, I had to become acquainted with her parents. Well, to make a long story short, it was in my opinion that my new “grand-father” was a super snobby guy who only cared about himself. He wore expensive name brand clothes, drove a very nice care, and had a massive house! It was based off of those, first impression features, that my assumption came from, but boy oh boy was I wrong.

After basically being forced to sit down and talk to the man, I discovered that his name was Clyde, which in my mind sounded like a snobby name, and that I was far from the truth on who this man was. It turned out that he is a super great family man who does anything to help others. He is always volunteering his services and making sure his family has everything that it may need.

I immediately felt a sense of respect for my new grandfather. And after spending a few summers with him, he has taught me the wonderful values of volunteering and making others feel good. He has completely changed my perspective on my own life. Instead of putting myself before absolutely everything, and making sure I got everything I needed and wanted, I now think of ways that myself along with others benefit from any and every action, and it truly makes me feel like a better person.

Words cannot even express how great of an influence this great man has been in my life. Not only was he accepting of me joining his family, but he was thrilled to finally have a boy. And personally, I believe that it is for that reason he has made it a point to give me his life experiences so that I can end up successful like him.
In the end, it doesn’t at all matter that I didn’t think I was going to like him. What matters is the fact that I was able to overcome my doubts and be able to say “It is an honor to be able to call him my Grandfather.