He used to tell us amazing tales of how he walked miles to get to school. Everything in the retelling of Grandpa's life was epic. Rain, snow, sleet had no chance against him. He overcame famine and pestulance. He walked on water. You think you have suffered? There is no suffering like Grandpa's suffering. And there was always a point when Grandpa was the hero. The point was he lived in a different time and in doing so he became a hero. And he was.

At some point you grow up. Grandpa remained the hero of our life. His stories, disconnected or not, did impact us as we lived with today's realities. The stories no longer fit at times but they are still reminders of his time. We are charged with making our own stories and we will be the heroes where all things hint at our personal epic tales.

Grandpa was a great story teller and a hero because that is what Grandpa's are. I can't imagine Grandpa running the country but I can imagine him lifting 1,000 pound weights, running half way around the world, swimming the ocean and inventing everything before some bastard took credit for it.

Grandpa's can do that.

And "the kid" hemmed and hawed because he didn't have good stories to tell...

Don't let that bother you...you will have your own good stories to tell one day.

Didn't Grandpa also carry his cello and backpack 5 miles to and from school each day through 5 feet of fresh snow?

Yup, my Grandpa was a mail carrier and WW1 vet. I heard all those same stories and more.

Somehow, they don't seem so believable coming from Grandpa McBush- the military brat who finished 894 of 899 in his class at Annapolis.

And they definitely don't fit the times. ;)

mine told the truth, survived drought, floods, snowstormns, depressions, wars and mine cave ins and this country would be way better off if my gramps did run it, or my father for that matter who also survived the same as well as earned a silver star with clusters in a nazi onslaught, he never told that story only discoved it after his death. He was a union organizer who later cursed what unions had become, both men had a world vision that would make them better at running the country then any Harvard lawyer or politician today........

and yes, we DID walk miles to school....rain or shine, snow and sleet......30 minutes each way, 5 days a week.

No story.....just the truth.

until he actually had a good one. You know, something other than "i'm rich and Obama will raise my taxes" ;)

The embellished truth. ;)

We all feel that way. You can say you think my Grandpa lied. I think your Grandpa was not that different from my Grandpa. They lived through a hard era and they always become the hero. What you are saying is you don't see the hero my Grandpa was. Your loss.

What makes you think your story is much different than anyone elses, or his? Generationally you can figure any time of war has stories from everyone who served. Correct? Many or most vets don't talk about their war experiences.

I get the sense your answer is closer to "Yer Granny wears combat boots!" but that isn't the point.

There is always a foundation for the stories. That is what makes them so wonderful.

No cello but mine was lucky to have shoes. ;)

The best part about the Grandpa stories is while they live, the story not only remains but is retold many many times. No interjection in the form of "I think you told me that, Gramps", will save you from the retelling of volume 5, chapter 672.

I get out out HST above who had to equate your little slice of life with the McCain/Obama saga. Calm down HST, it'll be OK when you get that much needed nap.

I won't wish upon you what your fellow nutcase wishes upon large groups here daily, but truly, you have outlived the joy of living.

and over and over and over again. Sometimes the details changed a smidgen but no one dared correct him.

It may be a lost art form in terms of what we have to embellish one day:

1. Why I remember back when you could have a one-night-stand

2. Back in the day I used to drive 30 miles to work...each way

3. I remember when there was no cure for hemorrhoids. lol

since apparently your grandfater was less then honest. While yours painted himself as a hero mine simply stated the facts of the their time. No running water in the house, wood buring stoves, working in the mines till mid afternoon then tending the crops till dusk. Often the most thrilling stories werea told with him as an observant not a praticipant, Honesty was the trademark of men of his and my fahters generation, not tall tales to thrill the kiddies. As I said it is sad yours passed on a different legecy, of course it may well explain why you are attracted to and accept lying politicians. It's too bad more of their generation didn't pass on their traits to ours........