My Grandfather

In my life, my grandfather has had one of the biggest impacts, if not the biggest, on influencing me and helping me to make better decisions and becoming a better person. I am going to tell you why he is a good example and my role model.

Ever since I was a little kid, I have always loved sports, especially football. Since I love playing sports I have played football in high school. My grandfather also enjoys sports and also has a passion for the game of football. Through my three years so far in high school football, my grandpa has helped me become a better player. I listen to him because when he was in high school and was elected to the all-state football team. He also received a couple of scholarship offers for small colleges. On the same note of football, some of my best memories are of sitting in the garage with my grandpa, dad, and my brother on a fall afternoon and watching the Nebraska Cornhuskers play on television, especially on thanksgiving when they would play Colorado. He has also encouraged me now to do track. He was also an exceptional track runner. He ran the 100, 200, and 400, the same events as me. Some of my other favorite times with him are when I was a little kid we used to go fishing a lot.
Another reason why I admire my grandpa so much is because of his extremely hard work ethic. Ever since I was a little boy, my grandpa has taught me and showed me what good work ethic mean. He is a good example, because when he was a young man, his family owned a small liquor store. His mother and father owned and managed it, and since his mother was sick a lot, he often had to help his father run the store. He has also worked several jobs in his life. He owned his own liquor store when my mother was a young girl, he helped on a farm, he had his own painting business and now he is working at Wal-Mart

until he can retire in a couple of years. It is sometimes funny how much he pays so much attention to the detail of the work his does, because for example if he mows his lawn, and it doesn’t look quite right, he will it two or three more times until it looks like he wants it.

Responsibility is something that I have struggled with in the past and I don’t do very well. My grandpa on the other hand, is a very responsible person. When he was in school, he was almost a straight A student. Me on the other hand, not so much. That’s why I am as responsible as I am now, because of him. I used to be ornery and obnoxious, and one day he sat me down when I was about 12 and had a talk with me about being more mature and responsible. Now, although I am a still ornery and obnoxious from time to time, I am much more responsible now than I was, and I would probably be worse if my grandpa hadn’t have had a talk with me. He also helped me in school and made me realize how important grades are and now I bet almost all a’s and b’s.

Another area of my life my grandpa has helped me with is my faith in god. When I was a little kid and we would visit my grandma and grandpa, we would always go to church in the morning, and I hated getting up and going. Since I would be in a bad mood when we would go I would get into trouble and cause distractions. My grandpa has helped me with my faith so now I don’t mind getting up and going to church.

Now after reading this essay, I hope you can see why I admire and respect my grandfather as much as I do. He is the best role model I have, and I will always look up to him.