六 8-5 These are Things I Wish for Each of You

5.These are Things I Wish for Each of You

My cherished grandson, I hope you learn humility1 by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking.

I hope you learn to make your bed and mow2 the lawn and wash the car-and I hope nobody gives you a brand-new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see a baby calf3 born, and you have a good friend to be with you if you ever have to put your old dog to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your father teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books, and when you learn to use computers, you also learn how to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get razzed by friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and that when you talk back to your mother you learn what Ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don't care if you try beer once, but I hope you won't like it. And if a friend offers you a joint4 or any drugs, I hope you are smart enough to realize that person is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor's window, and that she hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of pared mold of your hand.

These are things I wish for you-tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.