The famous Notebook

Every year my mom and dad would put together a notebook for the grandkids as their Christmas gift. It is just awesome. It is a treasure. Each year came something different. There were always pictures of the kids and grandkids throughout the year and all the fun we had together. There were poems and stories about different things. It was so fun and such a treat to see what each notebook contained.

We just received our 2010 notebooks. A bit behind but it was a hard one for mom to do. It was all about the year 2010...the year my father passed away. So it was a tribute to him...in a way. Anyone who wanted wrote something about my father. It was a very sad notebook to look through and I have cried each time I have taken it out (3 times so far).

It is called Chicken Soup for the Grandkids Soul. I know my kids will cherish this when they get older. It will help them remember what he was like. The pictures will spark a memory as they look back and see all of the things he taught them. As I reread all the wonderful things about my father it just makes me see how even more wonderful of a person he was. But he was so humble. He really was. I love him so much. Man..I wish I were more like him.

Some pictures below of some of the things in the notebook. A picture of my father.....the cover of the notebook....my mom always includes a paper with what is in the notebook and the order it should be in....and she always includes a letter. I also put added the letter my mom wrote about my dad. I LOVE it so much. It is long but OH SO GOOD. And there is a letter that my mom and dad wrote to each of us children that goes like this:

To our kids,

If we hadn't had children, we probably would have had more money and material things. We probably would have gone more places, gotten more sleep, pampered ourselves more. Our life would have been much more boring and predictable. As a result of being parents, we have laughed, cried more often. we have worried more and hurried more. We've had less sleep, but somehow we've had more fun. We've learned more, grown more. Our hearts have ached harder, and we've loved to a capicity beyond our imagination. We've given more of ourselves, but we've derived more meaning from life. Thank you for helping us to grow.

Love mom and dad

NOW IF THAT DOESN'T SHOW YOU WHAT KIND OF PARENTS WE HAD I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL.







The letter my mom wrote about my dad:

The Light of My Life
The first thing that attracted me to Grandpa McHargue when we went on our first date, a blind date, was his sense of humor and his cheerful nature. He wasn’t bad looking, either. Since he was a very hard worker, working on a dairy farm, he had developed quite a physique, as well.
Over the years I discovered more and more qualities that endeared me to him. I discovered how compassionate his heart was and that only increased more and more as our family grew. His capacity to love really impressed me. He had always had a soft heart for animals, children and the down trodden. That’s probably why he started college in Veterinary Science dreaming of becoming a veterinarian. I never did realize why he turned from that endeavor.
Grandpa wasn’t perfect, mind you, but he worked to improve himself. He was always reading books and articles that he felt would help in that process. He’d order eBooks or courses online that he felt were worthwhile. He was a very deep thinker and pondered things often. There were times in our lives when his deep thinking would prevent us from taking advantage of an opportunity though.
Although he would deny it, Grandpa Bill was great with people. Everyone liked him and enjoyed being in his company. However, he was very uneasy ‘socializing’. He was the happiest when his children and grandchildren were surrounding him.
Throughout the years he would often be involved in some sort of ‘project’----usually in conjunction with his brothers Jack and Joe----creating, building or trying out something, testing, discovering, etc.
Grandpa McHargue was prompt. We often found ourselves arriving very early to an event because he didn’t like being late.
When Grandpa worked, you could be sure the job would be done correctly. He was very conscientious whether it was carving a wooden spoon or repairing an engine at his small engine repair shop, it was done with great care. His plan for this year (2011) was to carve a wooden spoon for each of his grandkids.
Bill was an honest man who always gave a person what was due him. If anyone ever felt that they had been taken advantage of or not given the best service at the shop, he was determined to make things right even if it required a loss on his part or wasn’t his fault.
While he worked at the shop (Jan 1990-Oct 2010) he would always arrive very early to complete work that was waiting for his attention. Even if he wasn’t going to the shop, he would arise very early--- usually around 4:00 a.m. ---thus time for reading or pondering.
Everyone looked to Grandpa to lead the way. Seemed NOTHING got done if he didn’t get behind it. During our summer get-togethers, if the McHargue brothers got up to do something, everyone else followed suit. He was a born leader.
His capacity to teach always amazed me. Although his children will relate instances of him making them cry as he helped them with their homework, his teaching ability cannot be denied. After graduating from the University of Idaho in 1968, he began a 15 year career of teaching high school students Animal Science, Soils, Welding, Weed Identification, etc. and being an adviser for the FFA organization. Students contacted him years later to honor him for how he had influenced their lives. He touched many lives for good. His students knew he cared for them. I always felt bad that Bill quit teaching because I felt that was his calling in life, but whether in the classroom, kitchen, shop or wherever, he was a teacher. That was definitely evident this past summer (2010) when he attempted quite successfully to show his grandkids about repairing small engines. Who could imagine that a 10 year old granddaughter would be able to assemble an engine!
Bill was faithful---to his wife, children, grandchildren and country. These were his priorities.
The only way you could possibly know if Bill was hurting was if you noticed something awry. He never complained. He would take care of (as much as possible) his own wounds or sores. I’d often notice some huge bruise or cut on his hands, wrists or arms but he never mentioned them. His hands took many bumps and bruises and cuts as he worked at the shop those many years.
I imagine everyone could detect Bill’s stubborn streak. He was such a very stubborn man. Perhaps that lent to making him the great man that he was---you think? He never gave up and stuck to his guns. Each of his children I’m sure will attest to this trait as they tried and tried to change his mind on some matter. If Bill didn’t want to do something, there was very little you could do to convince him otherwise. Even if you were able to make a valid point, he was too stubborn to outwardly admit it.
Grandpa Bill was a spiritual man who had read books on most known religions. He thought very deeply and pondered much on life.
At one point when he had developed carpal tunnel in both of his wrists, Dr. Earl referred him to a specialist in Quincy. We traveled there for an examination. After testing him, the specialist advised Bill to have both wrists operated on as soon as possible or he would lose the use of his hands. Well, Bill wasn’t about to have any operation nor was he going to lose the use of his hands. He began a vigorous assault on that condition. He found out all he could on the internet ordering anything (DynaFlex) or making anything (glove with rubber tubing for exercising) trying to rid himself of the pain and discomfort. At some point he felt the reason he was suffering so was the resentment he harbored. He then began to work on ridding his life of those things. It was not an easy task but he was right. As soon as he was able to forgive those he felt had wronged him and turn that resentment into love for his fellowman, the carpal tunnel disappeared and he was never bothered by it again. What a strong individual!
Grandpa could always be found somewhere outside gardening, taking care of the yard or puttering around in the shed. I wanted him to install a sprinkler system but he said he enjoyed moving the hoses. (Do you suppose this was actually the truth?) I think he wished he had done that later when it became harder and harder to do things that were so easy when he was younger. He would often remark when one of the younger members of the family did some physical labor with so much ease that he wanted a body like theirs. There was so much he wanted to accomplish that his body limited him from doing.
He constantly tried new processes, gardening methods, variety of plants and ideas. My take on things was, “Why ruin a good thing!” but his was, “There has to be something better!”
Bill had a way of making everyone and anyone feel as though they were the most important person in his life. Each of his children was his favorite child and each of his grandkids was his favorite grandchild.
When we were raising our children, he did not allow any grumps. If one of the kids arose feeling ‘under the weather’---grumpy---he would tease them, sing to them, etc. until they were smiling and if that didn’t work, they would often be sent back to bed until they ‘felt better’. He didn’t like being around sad or troubling situations.
Each year Bill and I looked forward and planned for our family 4th of July get-together. One of the highlights was the annual dance. Bill looked forward to dancing with each of his daughters and granddaughters (and me), and seeing that his grandsons learned not only how to dance, but also, the etiquette of it. What great times we had!!
Grandpa was a very smart, intelligent person. He was always reading something that would enhance that. Later in life when he tended to watch more TV, it would be the Discovery, History or Cooking channels so he could learn more. He was a good student in school. Many turned to him for answers. I always used him to solve my problems that involved math, spelling, etc. Not only was he smart but he was wise, as well.
I didn’t enjoy playing chess or any other strategy game with Bill for he would always win. I couldn’t overcome his ability to plan and think ahead. I gave him a challenge when it came to Scrabble, Boggle or something along those lines, though.
You had to take Bill as he was. There was no pretense or putting on airs. This would sometimes cause us to lock horns because I wanted things to look nice and he couldn’t care less. As long as everything was working properly, he had no concerns. I wanted to dress things up and make things LOOK better but, as I said, if Bill wasn’t behind a project it didn’t move forward.
After Bill and I had been married for some time and had several children, he suddenly informed me as I was putting dinner on the table one day that he really didn’t care for spaghetti. All those years, he never complained or suggested that he would prefer something else. He was very easy to cook for because he liked new dishes ---most of them anyway---and would eat most anything---even spaghetti. With the help of his brothers or children, he conjured up all sorts of dishes. He tried tripe, pig’s feet, cow cheeks, tongue and/or any other thing that looked and sounded disgusting. In recent years Bill would help me cook dinner most of the time since we both worked.
He was the light of my life. He led where I followed. What a huge hole he has left in all of our lives.
As we all gathered at his passing, several formulated the following:

Don’t dwell on how empty our lives are without him. Instead, remember how full our lives are because he was in it!

Live your life in such a way that when you see him again, he will be proud.

“A light from our household is gone; a voice we loved is stilled. A spot is vacant in our hearts that never can be filled.”