Simply Honorable

Gwaltney Edwards was born 102 years ago. His brother was my grand father. Like most of the men in the family he was slightly short of stature and significantly stronger than most men. Never heard him raise his voice. Never heard him cuss--"By Hannah" was as rough as I ever heard his language get.

He farmed all of his life. He raised his crops and his hogs. He cured his bacon and his hams. When he was 100 years old he still used a shovel to turn over his garden. He hunted hard all of his life, but did not shoot does. His hounds listened to him and he handled them like pets. Neither of those things were typical of hunters and their deer hounds.

I never heard him speak ill of anyone else. I never saw him try to force his opinion on anyone, but whenever he did speak those around him got very quiet and listened hard. He was not an educated man. He was a smart man who grew into a wise man.

He could catch dogs that could only be caught by their owners, and sometimes even dogs that the owners could not catch. Dogs will come to a man with a good heart who sits down and patiently calls them over. Shy dogs flee from an angry man as they would flee from a man on fire.

I never saw him angry.

When I was younger I thought power mattered--.never cared anything about money, but power was different. As I got older I thought respect mattered. I have out grown any need to feel powerful and seeking respect of others is surely striving after the wind. Now that I am in the fourth quarter of my life I have come to realize that simply being known as an honorable man is what matters. To live with honesty, generosity, kindness, courage, and unyeilding integrity is what matters.

In 102 years I cannot imagine that the word liar and the name Gwaltney Edwards were ever used in the same sentence. A good man, an honorable man

I had more to say but the hour is getting late and I have to shower and get dressed.

Gwaltney's funeral is in an hour.

We are going to go bury an honorable man.