Grandparents are always a nice thing to have as you grow up, some kids never have the chance to grow up with them but for me I am so glad to have them in my life up to this day. Ever since I was a little kid my maternal grandma and grandpa would always take care of me while both my parents went to work. Every day I would spend time with either one in different places like for instance I would help my grandma weave her rug or go with my grandpa to the horse corral. As I hung out with them more often they began to teach me a lesson, to never forget who I am and where I came from.

            Sometimes they would remind me but most times I would learn it on my own especially when I helped them out with stuff. I remember when I was small I would always sit there with my grandma and get in the way by trying to help her weave her rug but for some reason she would never get mad at me. To this day I think she wanted me to learn how to weave even though it was a lady thing but I did not care, as long as I kept a tradition going.  Every time my family butchers, my grandpa would always tell me how to take apart the meat, lucky enough I was listening so now I can take it apart myself like a true Navajo. Today, I always get flashbacks of how they stepped in to raise me and to help my struggling parents.

            Every time I go to my grandma’s house she always has to give me that speech. That speech were she tells me to not do something stupid that I will regret and give our family a bad reputation. So in my head I know I represent the Towering House Clan (One of the first original Navajo Clans) so my attitude changes to be a better person and do the best to my abilities for my family. When I communicate to them it is hard for me since they only understand Navajo, so this pushes me harder to learn more of my language and keep my language alive before it dies out. The last thing is my grandma tells me to come home after I go to college and make something of myself. Always telling me never to forget the place I was born and raised, keeps reminding me of this once small rez boy that grew up on the reservation.

Ever since I was a small boy, one thing that always kept running through my head is what my dad said to me. “ IF YOU WANT IT GO GET IT” he teaches me with his straight voice. These are the words that I live by in my life from the smallest things to the biggest obstacles in life. It was just a simple day at the horse corral and I felt so lazy that I was making my father do all the work for me and out of nowhere he lectured me. All I remember him saying that in life we want things, and it was only up to me to get it and not to rely on anybody else to do it for me. I knew it did not mean to steal if I wanted it but I looked at it in a way to fulfill my biggest dreams.

            After a few years went by I noticed that what ever I heard from my dad was helping me to get the things I wanted especially in roping. We were always a poor family that never could afford the luxury we wanted especially in the roping sport that we love. As I looked at a picture when I was small, I seen the poorest stuff we had like a beat up trailer and old horse supplies.  Then one day, my dad was talking to me about all the things I had won and how we worked so hard for this and how it had paid off. BOOM! It finally hit me at that moment, when all these years I wanted all these fancy horse supplies and all I had to do was get it. Through all the practicing I did, I earned all my prizes by winning and did not have to pay thousands of dollars for it like other people did. Now I relate it to other sports or activities I join so now the harder I work the better my results are going to be.

            Through the little things in life, I learn to not be lazy by getting my own stuff and doing my own work. Then remembering my father’s words it helped me to go further in my education and work harder for the job that I want to go into. As I continue with my life I remind myself to try not to rely on others and that whatever I want is for me so I have to go and get it for myself.