James E Nuckols
June 10, 1924-June 9, 2014
As
a little girl I remember Grandpa was always reading or tinkering on the
computer. He was always learning something, reading a technical magazine
or sharing a bit of knowledge that he picked up. He enjoyed the more
technical side of life, many things I didn't understand.
It
seemed our usual conversation each time we would visit. Grandpa would
ask, "What did you learn in school?" Since I was in school I
always had a legitimate answer. Grandpa asked me this question regularly
and all the way through my nearly 4 years at college. I can distinctly
remember the summer I graduated from UC---visiting Grandpa he asked me the
usual question, "what did you learn in school?" I've always
remembered that moment---even where I was sitting in Grandma and Grandpas
living room. For a moment, I didn't know what to say and was a
little hurt because I wondered how could he forget that I had graduated
college?!? I said, "Grandpa, I've already graduated
college." He looked at me with a sheepish smile, an ability
that all the Nuckols men have, and said, "I know, but we are all
students of life.” He paused for a
moment and then said “What did you learn in school today?" I
smiled back and thought of something that I had learned.
Every
visit after that I was prepared and thought about something neat I had learned
and added to my bank of knowledge. I started asking him the same question
and he always had something to share. Now I wish I could have remembered
the tidbits we exchanged.
It
wasn't until a couple years ago that I realized the life long impact these 2
minute conversations. I was driving home from work and the question
popped into my head, “What did I learn today?” We've not been able to have those conversations for quite
some time now, but rarely a day goes by now that I don't look back at the end
of the day and think, "what did I learn today?" Some days I'm
quite happy with how the day went and what I learned. I learned how to
sew a curtain, I learned how to fix a strand of Christmas lights. I learned how
to read the bedtime story just right. I learned sometimes all people need
is a smile. Other days, I look back and think, "Jenna, did you not
learn anything?"---and I'm disappointed by the day that got away, a day I
merely passed through. A day that
I would have no answer for Grandpa…
Maybe Grandpa didn't intend to but he's taught me a
lifelong lesson of learning everyday. He didn't just teach me one great
principle, one great lesson or one great theory....he taught me to keep on
learning every single day. We are never too old, too young, too busy, too
tired, too wrapped up in our own world that we can't learn something new.
So I ask you the same question, "what have you learned today?"
