The old man settled in his chair
The young child waited near,
She knew that he would look at her
And say, "Come sit right here."

She'd climb upon his lap, and then
With a voice so sweet and low,
She'd say, "Please, now tell me pappy
'Bout those times so long ago."

A smile would come upon his face
As he thought back through the years,
When life was full of laughter
And yes, there were some tears.

But to think of only bad things
Makes remembering too sad,
So he thought of all the happy times
And the things that made him glad.

He told her of the baseball games
Hide-and -seek, and homemade toys,
And how the girls played with baby dolls
And of marbles played by boys.

Some toys you had to wind up
But you never plugged them in,
The games were played with your best friends
And you weren't forced to win.

He said, "We never asked, What's there to do?"
For Mom would find a chore,
Like washing dishes, chopping wood,
Or mopping the kitchen floor.

You played with your pals: those were the days
You never thought they would end,
But time marched on; you went your way
And you lost track of your friends.

"So don't dwell too much on the old times, child,
For these are your 'Good Old Days',
You can start building your memories
In a thousand different ways".

I pray that when you grow older
You'll remember these times on my lap,
Then you tell all of your children
Of the good times you spent with Pap.

If i only leave you one lesson
I hope it is no surprise,
That it matters not how many times you fall down
"It's How Many Times You Rise!"

Dedicated to my grandchildren and
All the grandchildren of the world.
Written by
Joe Pielmeier Sr.
2001

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