I think back now and then
on the days of my youth,
They were happy and carefree and fun.
Some of the best of them all were spent with Grandpa
I was proud to be his grandson.
Gramps had shoed horses
most of his life;
A better shoer was dang hard to find.
Sometimes he'd take me along, though I wasn't much help,
He'd say "I might get in a bind
"And I'll need a good
handler to help bail me out
If some half-broke ol' horse just won't stand.
A good handler's important to a man hanging iron,
And my grandson here, he's a hand."
Oh it made me feel good to
hear Grandpa brag
About his horse holder when folks were around.
To hear him say that he needed my help
To me was a beautiful sound.
I'd watch every move that
Grandpa would make
Around a horse with some nervous quirk
He'd go easy, but quick, and I soon came to know
I was watching a master at work.
I'd ask questions and,
Gramps, he would answer,
And though I was too young to know,
He was trying to lay a foundation
For me to build on and grow.
I asked once, "What's this
horseshoe worth, Gramps?
Can't be more than a nickel or two."
He looked at the shoe, and then looked at me;
He said, "Son, that depends on you.
"If you take that old shoe
and throw it back in the box
And forget that it's even around,
Why it'll tarnish at first and then turn to rust.
After a few years it just won't be found.
"Or you can take that same
shoe and nail it on cold,
Without shaping or working it any.
The chances are good that you'll cripple the horse,
And that shoe would be worth not a penny.
"But if you take forge and
anvil and work that shoe right,
And trim up the foot like you should,
Well, the horse may not know it, but I promise you, son,
You'll do yourself and that pony some good.
"That's the way life
works, pard: the choice is all yours,
If you want you can just rust away.
Or like the cold shoe you can look mighty fine
And still not be worth your pay.
"But if you can take the
heat and blows that life gives,
And bend, but never crack,
Then your value mounts up and you're a worth a whole lot.
You can face life and never look back."
Well, I don't know if I
realize yet
Just how wise my grandfather was,
But I cherish the memories I have of him now,
And I'll love him forever because
Although he was just a
small-town, country horseshoer;
Never had much more than just family and friends;
But he knew about "life," and the value of work,
And how to help boys become men.
Chris Isaacs © 2001