March 29, 2008> 11:01 PM
lester nelson > coal miner This is my Grandfather, my Pappaw, Lester Nelson. He was my Mother's Father. He was, as you might notice, a coal miner in Southwest Virginia. My Mom had a copy of this photo of him that I asked her to bring me so I could scan it. The full photo is below - pretty cool. He's sitting on a coal car that they drove into the deep mines. And check that car out in the background. This photo must have been taken in the 40's sometime, maybe early 50's, not sure.
I'll try to find a closer, more focused photo of him to share sometime so you can see his strong Native American features. He was also a lay preacher in his small Methodist church in Exeter, Virginia. I'm told he used to go into the mountains to pray and fast for revivals. He was a Scout leader and also coached the local kids at baseball. He also struggled with alcohol for most of his life. Good people, Christian people struggle with things they have a hard time shaking. We're broken people and fixing us takes a lot sometimes. I have no reason not to believe he is praying for me in the heavenly dimension now.
He died, as I remember, in 1970 or 71, when I was 4 or 5 years old. I don't remember a lot about him, only good memories. He had a red Jeep wagon with a white hard top that my Uncle Barry inherited - I remember that. Apparently, as my Mother tells me, I was very upset when he died. He was only around 60. He had black lung disease and heart problems because of it. My Mom says that I was mad at God and couldn't quite understand. I don't remember any of this. I guess we knew Fr. Killian (the man who would later help usher me into the Kingdom, baptize me, etc.) at the time and he helped talk me through this. Interesting that I don't remember this at all. I remember his wake, as he lay in the coffin in my Granny's living room - all us kids walking by and trying to shake his hand. I know, odd, but we were little and we wanted some contact with him I guess. Anyway, I like this photo and wanted to share it and some thoughts about him with you. Peace.
March 29, 2008
> 11:01 PM
This is my Grandfather, my Pappaw, Lester Nelson. He was my Mother's Father. He was, as you might notice, a coal miner in Southwest Virginia. My Mom had a copy of this photo of him that I asked her to bring me so I could scan it. The full photo is below - pretty cool. He's sitting on a coal car that they drove into the deep mines. And check that car out in the background. This photo must have been taken in the 40's sometime, maybe early 50's, not sure.
038
