ust over a week ago Mama Smaggle’s dad, my Poppy, died from complications after heart surgery. I’ve mentioned him a few times here on the blog, you might know him as Poppy Smaggle or if you follow on Instagram you might know him has Jellybeanpoppy. He was a very big supporter of Smaggle. When I first started doing outfit shots in 2007, he and Nanny Smaggle would print the photos off every day and stick them to the fridge until they ran out of room. He was a photographer, so last year our family chipped in and bought him an iPhone so he could see all of our Instagram photos. Although he only had the phone for about 6 months he absolutely loved it and started Instagramming pictures of Nanny’s jars of pickles, his violin students and their beautiful garden. As I was sitting in the church at his funeral on Saturday, listening to my wonderful family give the eulogy, I thought there were some beautiful life lessons in there that were worth sharing with my wonderful readers, so on that note, here’s a little bit of beautiful life advice from Poppy Smaggle.
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
There are no degrees of honesty
Poppy Smaggle was a very, very honest man and never ripped anyone off. When he retired, he started teaching violin and instead of quietly pocketing the extra little bit of cash, he declared every cent that he earned to Centrelink so the government could appropriately reduce his pension. He always said that there are no degrees of honesty and this applied to his friends, neighbours, the government and big corporations.
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
Be grateful for everything you have
My grandparents worked hard but with four children and usually only one pay check in the family, they weren’t exactly what you’d call well off. My Poppy honestly thought he was the richest man in the world, and he really was. He had a beautiful wife, a gorgeous family and always had enough money to put food on the table. He didn’t need anything else and the best part was that he knew it.
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
If you love someone, tell them
Poppy Smaggle was very vocal with his love. He told Nanny Smaggle every single day how beautiful she was and how much he loved her. We’d all hear it and groan about how embarrassing he was but you never wondered if Poppy Smaggle loved you. If he loved you, he told you.
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
Help other people often
Poppy Smaggle was very bothered by the injustices of the world. He’d read in the paper about 400 people dying in a bomb explosion in a foreign country he’d say to me ‘400 people Carly. That’s half the people that go to your school.‘ People were never numbers to him and everyone was worth his time. If someone needed help, he’d help them, no questions asked.
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
Family is everything
Poppy Smaggle was diagnosed with leukemia 20 years ago. We honesty thought we were going to lose him back then but he went into full remission and we got to have him for many years after that. His health was never very good so he’d always make sure that everyone came to Christmas because every Christmas ‘might well be his last’. It turns out that last Christmas actually was his last Christmas and we’re very grateful now that he always made a fuss about everyone coming for Christmas every year.
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
Did any of your grandparents leave you with beautiful life advice? Any gems that you’d like to share?
55 Comments
-
Aww this is so beautiful. I’m sorry for your loss xxx
-
Author
Thank you. We’re very lucky that we had him for so long. x
-
-
What an extraordinary man. I am very sorry for your loss. He certainly sounds like he enriched the lives of all who know him (I don’t believe in past-tense when it comes to people). Sending my thoughts to all of your family and especially your Nanny.
-
Oh thank you that’s beautiful. I love the past-tense thing. Nanny is doing very well – she’s very brave. x
-
-
I thought this would be a bit of a tear-inducing article and sure enough, im actually choking up. this is a really beautiful way of remembering someone, he sounds like he was a very special person, you were very lucky. Im very lucky to have an amazing granddad myself, and this is a timely reminder to appreciate him more and always go to family events. thanks carly
-
You should absolutely. I got into that habit about a year ago of calling my grandparents every few weeks and I’m really glad I did. I live three states away from them (they only live half an hour away from each other though) and it’s such a great way to keep in touch and they really love hearing from their grandkids. I’m going to make sure I call all my grandparents this week!
-
-
Poppy Smaggle sounds like such a wonderful man and has left a great impression on you. I have so many fond memories of my grandparent.
-
He was, he could be a grumpy pain in the butt sometimes but he was a really good man. x
-
-
This is just gorgeous Carly, and thank you for sharing your Poppy with us. Much love to you and your family xx
-
He was certainly worth sharing and if he ever met any of you he would chatted to you for hours and told you all of this himself! 🙂
-
-
This is a beautiful tribute Carly. I can also see where you get your big heart from. Advice from my Grandma that’s always stuck in my mind, and she’s say it often” “Above all children, love one another.” xA
-
Oh darling thank you. He’d be touched that you said that. Very poignant words from your grandmother there. x
-
-
Such a beautiful post Carly. I’m so sorry for your loss and my heart goes out to your family, especially Nanny Smaggle. My Dad taught me a spirit of adventure but to be grateful for what is right now.
-
Thank you darling that’s so beautiful. Nanny Smaggle is doing really well… They’ve been married since she was 17 so it was always going to be hard but she’s being a real trooper. 🙂
-
-
Such a wonderful tribute to a man who sounds like an absolute gem. I’ve very sorry for your loss. Sending thoughts and love to you and your family xx
-
He WAS an absolute gem. Thank you my dear. xxx
-
-
What great advice. He sounds like he is a good man (not was, because he still is) with a good heart. Sorry for your loss x
-
Thank you so much, he is a good man. He did us very proud and it wasn’t difficult at all thinking of awesome things he taught me.
-
-
God rest Poppy Smaggle’s soul. I miss my Nanna terribly. I remember when she was a bit demented she kept asking me if I had a boyfriend (I was married). In the end I gave up and told her I had five of them. She said “that’s good. Marry the rich one”
Bless her heart too.
-
Ha ha! Marry the rich one. I love that. x
-
-
Lovely article Carly, he sounds like such a wonderful man, this is such a nice way to honour him & share him with the world.
I’ve lost both my grandpa’s in the past few years and it’s definitely left a hole in my life, they were both pretty impressive men. My mum’s dad (my Poppa) died of cancer and kept us all laughing right until the end, even though he was in a lot of pain by that stage. He got to the point where he was having pudding & a beer for dinner every night because he’d be damned if he wasn’t’ going to enjoy what might be his final meal!-
Oh bless him! I’d be doing the same thing! I’m really glad I started taking the time to get to know my grandparents more in the last few years.
-
-
Sorry for your loss too, what a great man, how lucky.
My grandfather always told me to make sure if I had a chance to help someone to do it. As a nurse I figure it’s my job, but he meant in the ordinary day to day space not at work. Pretty simple, I lost him when I was in my late 30s and I remember his advice and impart it to my own children and I fess up it was great granddad’s gem not mine.-
That’s so weird! Poppy Smaggle was a nurse. A big heart must be something that goes with the job! 🙂
-
-
What a beautiful post and a wonderful man.
I can’t remember learning anything specific from my gramps, who died seven years ago. Just general goodness, I think. Quietness, patience.
Love to you in your sadness.
-
Thank you love. My other grandfather is quiet and patient. Poppy Smaggle was neither of those things! 🙂
-
-
Precious memories, sorry for your loss it can’t be easy x
-
It’s definitely sad but there’s something lovely about people dying when they’re old after a good life – makes it a lot less sad.
-
-
This was a great post Smaggs, sending all the virtual love your way x
-
Thank you darling heart. x
-
-
What a beautiful post! I love that your Poppy Smaggle had an Instagram account and I love that you’ve passed his life advice onto us x
-
He was actually really good at Instagram. He got it straight away! Our family always tag each other in photos when we’re visiting each other to make each other jealous and he jumped straight on the bandwagon of that!
-
-
I love grandparents. I wasn’t particularly close to mine as we’re not a particularly close family, but I just feel like that generation just have a kind of special magic about them. Sending you & your family lots of love (with an extra dose for your Nanny) xx
-
Oh I love that! Thank you. I lived very far away from Nanny and Poppy so I didn’t get to see them as much I would have liked but we’re a very close family. I’m sure Nanny Smaggle is reading everyone’s lovely comments. 🙂
-
-
I’m so sorry for your loss Carly. Thank you for sharing Poppy Smaggle’s lessons with us. I never knew my grandparents, and barely knew my parents before they died too. Perhaps that’s why I seek out blogs like yours now – opportunities for seeking advice and inspiration from wonderful, wise, and kind people. It fills a hole in my heart. So maybe that can be my life advice: surround yourself, in whatever way you can, with people who inspire you. xx
-
Oh my goodness petal, how awful for you. Thank you so much for your kind words and what a wonderful way to turn tragedy into something with a silver lining. Special lady. x
-
-
That is a wonderful post Smags and I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Love that photo of your poppy. What a gorgeous man, inside and out. x
-
My uncle is starting to look scarily like him! He was the original hipster.
-
-
My grandfather just turned 101 in june this year, every day we are so grateful as a family that he is still with us. I feel so lucky too that my daughter got to know and love him as I did. He always had something wise and interesting to teach us as kids, sayings that have stuck with us for a lifetime.
-
Oh my goodness how lucky you are! I’d be drilling him for health advice! 101 is amazing!
-
-
So very sorry for your loss. I think grandparents are so incredible. I lost mine young – I really only had a relationship with my Mom’s Mom, but 8 years after she passed, I sill think of her almost daily and miss her to pieces. The thing she taught me above all else was that keeping your sense of humor is the most important thing in life. She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease very young (in her 40’s) and her health slowly deteriorated for years (she was in her 70’s when she passed). But I one of my strongest memories of her is taking her out to eat one night with just my Mom and I – neither of us were very experienced caretakers and my grandma was in a wheelchair at the time. Mom and I were trying to finagle Grandma into the car, but weren’t getting very far and we are all pushing and pulling and my Grandma is doing her best to help. Finally at one point, she just started giggling and then we all just busted out laughing until tears were rolling down our face – we could all barely stand. Once we managed to compose ourselves, we got her into the seat fine. But that laughter was the best gift she could have given me. Find the funny and you’ll be okay no matter what the circumstance.
-
Absolutely brilliant life advice. Love it. Parkinson’s is nasty, I’m sorry you had to watch your grandma go through that. You really do have to keep your sense of humour. It’s honestly how I think people survive.
-
-
I’m so sorry for your loss Carly, how wonderful though to have had this wise, loving man in your life. Unconditional love, it’s the most amazing emotion in the world, the ones of us who experience are the luckiest people in the world. Kathryn x
-
Oh that is so beautiful! It’s only as I’ve gotten older and travelled and worked with kids who have experienced trauma that I truly understand how lucky I am to have been raised in such a gorgeous, supportive and loving family. Don’t get me wrong they’re absolute nutcases and they piss me off regularly but they’re good, wonderful people and I honestly couldn’t ask for anything more.
-
-
Im so sorry for your loss, and the loss to your family too. I never had the chance to know my grandparents as they all passed away quite young. Wishing I had someone like your Poppy to give out great advice when I had needed it (and give me a kick up the bum when I needed it too!!) He sounds like a wonderful soul xx
-
He certainly had his faults but the most part he was a really great influence. I’m a lucky gal!
-
-
To be quite honest my grandmother was a dreadful woman but I learned from her the dangers of compromising on what you want. She was fiercely intelligent but growing up female meant that her skills and intellect were devalued to the point where she settled for marriage and motherhood, which made her and her family miserable. If I don’t see the value in a relationship or an idea, I don’t bother with it just to spare the feelings of others.
-
I have friends that have awful grandparents but I’m so glad that you got to learn something in the process. I have a friend who’s grandmother was actually just really cruel and neglectful. It just seems so strange to me. Why have kids if you’re going to be a dick about it?
-
-
Huge hugs to your family, I was lucky enough to have lovely grandparents too. There is always a special connection between the grandparents and the kids, don’t you think? Love that Poppy Smaggle rocked Instagram, what a legend!
-
Oh dear, Carly, I’m so sorry to hear about your lovely Pop. I’m sending love to all of your family.
I really only knew my Mum’s Dad, my Pa, who was one of the loveliest men I knew. He was incredibly kind and loving, and very funny. I only found out some years ago that when my mum and her brothers and sister were young, he was actually quite a volatile man, and really exploded with anger. My favourite story about my Pa is that when he got a raise, he would bring home a cake for everyone to celebrate with straight away. I thought that was such a nice thing to do. The stories about him that I’ve learnt recently showed me that people can change, and that people can be very different at certain times in their lives, and depending on who they are with.
I wasn’t old enough to learn anything from my Dad’s Dad, but I’ll certainly be asking my Dad about any life lessons that he learnt from him!
-
I’m so sorry for your loss Carly. Poppy Smaggle sounds like a wonderful husband, dad, poppy and friend.
-
what a lovely tribute carly! your poppy sounds like my dad who is 88 and he adores people, has had major heart operations, still drives and lives independently! he loves everyone and especially his grandchildren, who in still adore him! they were made of good stuff! R.I.P. POPPY SMAGGLE! love m:)X
-
Aw, my darling, I am so sorry for your loss. I loved this post though. Your story about your poppy with his smart phone reminded me of my own grandfather. Pa adored music and one Christmas we got him an ipod. He loved it so much and he never went anywhere without it.
-
What a wonderful man your Poppy was. I wish I had a Poppy in my life. You’re lucky to have had him. Sending much love to you and your family. x
Pingbacks
-
[…] an even better 2014. It wasn’t smooth sailing the whole time though. I said farewell to my beautiful Poppy who left us in July this year and it’s made my family a bit empty and sad. I was basically a walking pile of snot for the […]
[…] an even better 2014. It wasn’t smooth sailing the whole time though. I said farewell to my beautiful Poppy who left us in July this year and it’s made my family a bit empty and sad. I was basically a walking pile of snot for the […]
