This I Believe - a Paper About the Opinion or Aspect That I Have on Life

Scott Lovejoy

Ms. Curry-Johnson

English 12 Honors Period 4

Sep 8, 2017

This I Believe

        I have always believed in the importance of hard work.  My grandfather, who worked very hard to provide a good life for my dad, exhibited this value while living his life and taught me the importance of always putting in one-hundred percent of your effort.

        The recent passing of my grandfather was the first time I experienced the death of a family member.  After the initial shock and sadness that I experienced after his sudden passing, I missed not having the man that I admired so much around anymore.  His story is one that I will always admire, and one that drives me to always do my best.  

        To me, no one else that I know of has worked harder to achieve his goals than my grandfather.  “Grampy,” as all the grandkids and I affectionately called him, grew up in Burlington, Vermont as the third of six children.  His father and mother were constantly working to pay the bills and their mortgage on their humble two-bedroom house.  Because his family did not have enough money to send even one of their six children to college, he made the decision to enlist in the U.S. Navy upon graduation from high school.  After serving four years, the G.I. Bill enabled him to attend the University of Vermont and graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.  After graduation, he was recruited and hired into the General Electric Financial Management Program, which is where he worked as a finance manager for over thirty years.  

        When I heard my grandfather's story, I realized that there is nothing greater that I need to aspire to.  With all that he was able to accomplish, it came as no surprised that he expected the same effort from me.  Unfortunately, when his doctor diagnosed him with an infection in one of his heart valves, his days were limited to just two months.  Before he passed away, my father asked him what advice he had for me in a short video message.  He said, “It’s important to always do your best in everything you do.  You’ll never achieve your full potential, full goals, or your full happiness if you don’t do your best in what you’re working on right now.”