My Granddaddy Billy was a smidge flamboyant.  He was a funny mix of smelly, smart, ornery, quirky, sweet, funny, mischievous, & dangerous.

We used to play WaHoo.  Now, this was a made up game from all that I can tell.  The game was centered around Granddaddy laying on his “Goucho”.

What exactly is a “Goucho”?  Excellent question, Granddaddy had piece of furniture made for resting.  This piece of furniture was a cross between a bed & a couch.  Funny as it seems, this “Goucho” sat at the end of my grandmother’s kitchen right next to the kitchen table.

When my granddaddy would finish eating, he simply moved to his Goucho to take a nap.  That brings us back to the game.  After lunch, Granddaddy would lie down on the Goucho.  Now Granddaddy would pretend to be asleep.  If we disturbed, i.e. poked, tickled…, him, his leg would raise with eyes still closed & he would say, “WaHoo.”    We would giggle, hesitate, & sneak up on him again.  This would continue until we were exhausted from laughing.  This silly, pointless game shows that we loved our granddaddy & he loved us. We played WaHoo almost every Sunday afternoon.

Now, my cousins lived just down the road from Granddaddy & Grandmother.  They saw Granddaddy & Grandmother much more often then we did.  Because of the amount of time that my cousins spent a Granddaddy’s & Grandmother’s house, I am sure that their fondest memories are different.  All of us grandkids were loved, no doubt.

I used to run in Granddaddy Billy’s house.  He would always want a hug & a kiss.  I told him he smelled like onions to go gargle.  I was not wrong about him needing mouthwash, but I probably should not have been quite so demanding.  He couldn’t help it.  He loved to eat onions!

Today I still laugh about some of the things my granddaddy did.  I can smell his onion breath to this day.  I also am acutely aware of some wonder gifts that he gave us grandkids.

So my wish for you is that during this Christmas season you take a moment to remember:

1. You probably have a little onion breath too.
2. WaHoo every Sunday isn’t the same as a daily visit.  So how you see things may be different.
3. Your friends & family love you despite your onion breath & theirs.
4. This love you share is a precious gift from God.

Merry Christmas!