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037 When Life Breaks Your Back, Love Lifts You: Grandparenting Through Grit, Faith, and Showing Up With Doug Wadsworth
Guest: Doug Wadsworth — Utah native, Navy officer, devoted grandpa/great-grandpa.
The early roots: Growing up near both sets of grandparents; linotype-operator grandpa at the Deseret News; hard-work DNA and Depression-era frugality.
Service threads: Dad’s WWII Pacific stories; Doug’s own path through OCS and commissioning; what service taught him about people, truth, and leadership.
The day everything changed: Doug’s son Dan falls through a garage ceiling—skull fractures, broken neck/back, becomes a paraplegic. The family response: immediate presence, hope, and practical faith.
Resilience in motion: Dan’s adaptive three-wheel ascent to Delicate Arch—hundreds cheer as he raises his arms under the arch. Independence, pain management, and still teaching his kids how to wrench on cars.
Grandpa plays that work:
Show up ritual: Be at the games, the recitals, the rough days—and let them see you keep showing up.
Cousins as a team: Monthly dinner tradition for married grandkids + spouses to keep the web strong.
Model faith quietly, daily: Prayer in the home, consistent language of hope, and lived patterns that kids can copy under stress.
Savor > sprint: “Slow down” and laugh more—don’t let repairs and busywork steal the moments.
Superpowers & kryptonite:
Superpower: Getting along while getting things done—truth with compassion.
Kryptonite: Thinking you’re right too often (ask Joan!).
Advice to 30-somethings: Make memories on purpose (camping, trips, projects). Invest in marriage and family—everything else fades.
Sponsor shout: Recording your story is easier than you think—Doug-approved. Mention “Rivers” at Planted Media Co. for the Grandpa Channel discount.
CTA:
If this helped you, share it with one grandpa who needs a reminder to show up—and hit follow so we can bring one million grandpas into the huddle.
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By with Steve Harris – Real Talk, Real Laughs & the Real Grandparent LifeGuest: Doug Wadsworth — Utah native, Navy officer, devoted grandpa/great-grandpa.
The early roots: Growing up near both sets of grandparents; linotype-operator grandpa at the Deseret News; hard-work DNA and Depression-era frugality.
Service threads: Dad’s WWII Pacific stories; Doug’s own path through OCS and commissioning; what service taught him about people, truth, and leadership.
The day everything changed: Doug’s son Dan falls through a garage ceiling—skull fractures, broken neck/back, becomes a paraplegic. The family response: immediate presence, hope, and practical faith.
Resilience in motion: Dan’s adaptive three-wheel ascent to Delicate Arch—hundreds cheer as he raises his arms under the arch. Independence, pain management, and still teaching his kids how to wrench on cars.
Grandpa plays that work:
Show up ritual: Be at the games, the recitals, the rough days—and let them see you keep showing up.
Cousins as a team: Monthly dinner tradition for married grandkids + spouses to keep the web strong.
Model faith quietly, daily: Prayer in the home, consistent language of hope, and lived patterns that kids can copy under stress.
Savor > sprint: “Slow down” and laugh more—don’t let repairs and busywork steal the moments.
Superpowers & kryptonite:
Superpower: Getting along while getting things done—truth with compassion.
Kryptonite: Thinking you’re right too often (ask Joan!).
Advice to 30-somethings: Make memories on purpose (camping, trips, projects). Invest in marriage and family—everything else fades.
Sponsor shout: Recording your story is easier than you think—Doug-approved. Mention “Rivers” at Planted Media Co. for the Grandpa Channel discount.
CTA:
If this helped you, share it with one grandpa who needs a reminder to show up—and hit follow so we can bring one million grandpas into the huddle.