TOS Review - Papa's Pearls

I don't remember either of my grandfathers.  One died before I was born and the other died before I was one year old, so I don't have any grandfatherly wisdom to pass on.  My family had the privilege of spending some time getting to know a precious, elderly couple from our church before they passed recently.  The gentleman was quite a character!  His wife told a story about how their grandson had come over to go to work with his Popo (he owned a roofing company in California) and she had fed him breakfast before heading out for the day.  As they were leaving, she was loving on the grandson and then said to her husband, "I love you, Gip." At his lack of response, she said, "Well, aren't you going to tell me you love me?" and he said, "Woman, 50 years ago I told you I loved you.  If that ever changes, I'll let you know."  :-) At his funeral, the grandchildren joyfully shared many "Popo-isms" that they grew up with and have passed on to their kids.  In fact, one grandson started one of these sayings and the row of his kids finished it.  They have an incredible legacy to now carry on.

The book, "Papa's Pearls:  A Father's Gift of Love and Wisdom to His Children and Grandchildren" by Diane Flynn Keith, is full of the same type of life guidelines passed onto their family by her father.  From the introduction of the book: "Papa was a man of few words, but he summed up the insight he gleaned from his life experiences in little pearls of truth that he casually, but purposefully, imparted to my sister, my brother, and me..."Papa's Pearls" were my father's simple means of conveying knowledge of the ways of the world to us, while demonstrating how to be a loving parent and a successful person."

My Musings:

"Papa's Pearls" is a lovingly written memoir.  It's an easy read and each of the 17 chapters begins with one of Papa's "truths":  "You gotta do what you gotta do."  " Tell Yourself You Like It." "Everyone Deserves a Second Chance." "Oogie Boogies!"And many more.  My favorite part was getting to know Papa through his daughter's writings.  It made you wish you had the opportunity to meet this amazing man in real life.  Growing up during the Depression, Papa didn't have it easy and could have taken the path that surely lead to trouble, but he made something of himself and passed his legacy and the pearls that lead his life, onto his family and now to us.

You can purchase an autographed copy of "Papa's Pearls" from the author's website for $21.97.  The book is also available through Amazon for $13.47.