E Journey

E Journey

Mike Baum
Essay #2
English 101
10/15/11

The Family Legend


As my grandfather would say, “An item is only as valuable as the person makes it.” My grandfather, Fred strongly believes that using objects to their fullest potential will determine their true sentimental value. Born and raised in New Glarus, Wisconsin with three brothers and two sisters, he quickly learned that the cost of living was high.
Every asset was of great value no matter what the cost. Poor living conditions made life an intense struggle. Fred claimed that hunting was his only escape from reality. His father would take him deer hunting each Fall on the local public land. The land was over hunted and contained poor natural resources leaving it hard to harvest merely one deer every two seasons. Despite the fact that he didn’t have the proper equipment to hunt, such as basic camo clothes or even a tree stand, hunting soon became the bread and butter of his life. It wasn’t the thrill of hunting that intrigued him; he enjoyed spending countless hours in solitude and being able to witness the priceless scenery around him. He used the hours of solitude to revisit his past memories as a kid and thank the Lord for the few things he had. Walking out of the woods after a day of hunting put the agonizing stress from his daily life to rest.
One season, late in the evening after hunting his father realized he was bitten by a deer tic carrying Lyme disease. After several years of severe headaches and fevers his father eventually became too ill to continue hunting and providing for his family.  
As years passed, Fred graduated high school and worked straight through the hunting seasons compensating for his father’s lost income in order to provide for his siblings. One fall day while he was raking leaves in the yard, his father’s weak voice carried through the wind calling his name. When he arrived at his bedside, his father handed him a box containing a brand new special edition buck knife. Fred...