I loved being a father, and I love being a grandfather. Sometimes I think our grandchildren are designed to really make us laugh. They say things that are without filter and really really funny, though I suspect sometimes they wonder why we laugh.

I was going through some papers recently and pulled out the papers that my grandfather, Arthur Edward Waters, filled out when he was applying to be a Salvation Army officer. It was December of 1915. He lived in Hamilton Ontario on Queen Street South and was a carpenter.

At this point he was married with two children, Bill and Ida.

On the application form he had to list his current wages and here it is!

He worked for the B. Greening Wire Company for $2.75 a day. A quick survey of the internet produced a small catalogue that they offered. This is the company that in 1915 employed Grandpa Waters.

A artist has depicted the factory. And Hamilton has been a place of industrial manufacturing for a long time.

In 1946 they had a float in a century parage too!

And then there’s my Grandpa Eastland. If he were alive, he might be surprised as to how often I have written about him on this blog! Here from my desk is a little video of something I got from my Mom recently.

Heritage is important to me, and I think about how my grandchildren will remember me, not because I am afraid of being forgotten – that’s a given and is already in play for us all as we move away from relationships which we no longer have exposure to.