The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived

I knew the greatest man whoever lived. He was a simple, humble man with a common name. Joe. And as common as his name, was his life. He never lived in a big city. Never tamed wild horses. Never threw a pitch in a major league ballpark. He was a common man, of average height and weight, who played common roles: a soldier, a worker, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a friend. He was a common man, in common roles, who loved common things: his wife, his children, God, naps, the newspaper, and baseball. The greatest man who ever lived was extraordinarily common. He ate simple foods; smiled a simple smile and lived a simple life. The greatest man who ever lived understood greatness because he understood life, humanity, and simplicity. And most of all, he understood his part in it. To all the common tasks of his life, he applied an uncommon love. Every word and movement was bound with a pure, simple love - a love that transformed. By trade, he was a man of finance, but by passion he was a carpenter of character. His love transformed people as his hands transformed simple blocks of wood into chairs to sit on, desks to write at, ramps to ride on, and homes to live in. His love transformed the unruly spirit of a city-raised girl into a loving mother of seven daughters. Seven daughters sheltered by the simple protecting love of a common yet great father, grew to build beautiful families of their own. Rooted in small town simplicity, those families grew; grandson’s and granddaughters amassed. And the common man shared his simple love. And the more he shared it, the more his greatness grew. Yet of his greatness, he never knew. Because a great man never knows his own greatness; a great man never seeks it. A great man simply lives, and lets his love provide. The last time I ever saw him, as walked out his door, he yelled my name. He said, “Rachel, be careful going out the driveway, cars speed around the bend.” The greatest man who ever lived, lying in the bed where one week later he would breathe his last breath, was still protecting me. I never heard the greatest man who ever lived say I Love You. The greatest man who ever lived didn’t need words to say I love you. He let his life say it. Grand pop, I love you, and miss you.