Grandpa's Beard

How could that man laying in that bed be the same man who's strong arms carried me safely across the roaring stream? How could he be so happy and so concerned about others when his once very active life is now spent in a nursing home bed? He has spent his whole life working hard to serve others. He served our country in WW II, provided for his family as a laborer and a farmer, and always gave the most patient love to each one of his grandchildren. Now, he sits in the nursing home praying for them. Time changes every thing. The grandfather that carried me across the raging river is the same man that I push in the wheelchair. It seems hard to believe, until you look into his eye and see that twinkle. Sometimes it is hard to see beyond the glazed over look he has so often but it is there, when he smiles and when he laughs I can remember the tickle of grandpa's beard when I gave him good night kisses as a little girl.