Ava came to visit the office last week and Grandpa was happy to put her to work! Ava joined Grandpa on the computer and she even tried on the headset he wears when he's on the phone. It seems like she actually enjoys our office - she always gets really quiet, listens intently, and looks around quite a bit when she comes to visit. Grandpa has lots of colored markers in his office, and Ava loves to watch them roll towards her on the desk. She picks them up and often drops them on the floor right away. She loves to start a game of pick-up... meaning that she makes whoever she is playing with pick up everything she throws on the floor! Since the office is our "home away from home," I'm sure Ava will spend many hours here as she grows up. It's right down the street from the elementary school she will attend, so I can imagine her making the short walk to the office to visit Grandpa and Mom after school. I can remember coming to visit both of my grandpas at their places of business when I was a young girl. My Grandpa Jacobson managed a Firestone store in Cherokee, and Ethan and I loved to go in and check out the big tires on display. We liked to hide in the tire stacks (I'm sure Mom and Dad loved that!). A highlight: Grandpa always gave us some money to use in the old red gumball machine. It always had the square multi-colored gum in it. Grandpa passed away when I was eight years old. I wish I could have had more time to observe him in action on the job, but I will always cherish the fun memories I have of visiting his spick-and-span store. I know my dad learned a lot from working with him. I also remember visiting my Grandpa Dykes' office at the Hy-Vee store he managed in Centerville, IA. I loved to watch him as he interacted with customers, bagged their groceries, and interacted with his employees. He had a way of making you feel special. Watching him at work made a huge impact on me. I remember thinking, "I want to be like that." Lord knows I'm still trying! He put his whole heart into his work. He knew most of his customers by name and it was his desire that each person left happy and felt they had gotten great service. I see a lot of my Grandpa Dykes in my mom, because she treats everyone she interacts with as if they're the most important person in the world, no matter who they are. After my grandpa's passing in 2008, someone from Centerville shared a memory of him using the online guestbook at the funeral home:
"I always thought Jack was helpful at HyVee. One time when shopping there he helped me find everything I needed. I didn't know of very many store managers who would do this. I always thought of the HyVee slogan when I saw Jack, a smile in every aisle."
The fact that this person took the time to share this memory of my grandpa, and that it happened to be a memory of how he conducted himself at his store, speaks to the legacy he left his family. My grandpas weren't rocket scientists, presidents, or people with advanced degrees. And they certainly weren't perfect, as none of us are. But I know they genuinely cared about the customers they served. In a day and age where people sometimes seem to have forgotten how to treat each other, I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to learn these lessons by observation from my grandpas. I know my mom and dad, for their part and by their example, will pass these lessons on to Ava. Maybe she'll find her grandpa's office to be as much fun as I did!
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| Learning On the Computer |
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| Chatting on the Phone! |
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| I Think She Had Lots of Fun! (Grandpa Did, Too!) |
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