The Man Who Taught Me Everything (Except Writing)

In Loving Memory of My Grandpa: Isom “Ray” Plyler

Lung cancer took my “papa” from this world—but it didn’t take the love, wisdom, and strength he left behind in my heart.

My grandfather was the kind of man who didn’t just raise you—he tried to shape you as he taught you new things. He had a quiet power about him, the kind that could speak volumes without saying much at all.

He taught me almost everything I know: how to be kind but strong, how to treat others with respect, how to carry myself with grace even when life tries to break me. His lessons weren’t always spoken—they were lived.

He didn’t teach me how to write—but he did encourage every word I ever wrote especially my books that I started before his death. He thought I would never be able to make a living from writing unless I became a professional journalist. He did not want me to write stories about dangerous situations like the wars and crime in our town.

From the very beginning, Grandpa believed in my gift of writing. Even when I wasn’t sure of myself, he was always asking me about my work. He would light up when I showed him something I’d written like my books.

He’d say, “You’ve got something special, baby girl.” That stayed with me. Still does.

When cancer came for him, it came fast. Too fast. Lung cancer doesn’t always give you the luxury of time. Watching someone you love fade before your eyes is a kind of heartbreak that never fully heals. But even in the final days, he was teaching me—how to face fear, how to be brave, how to say goodbye with dignity.

I miss him deeply. I miss his stories, his laugh, his steady presence. But most of all, I miss the way he believed in me.

Every time I write—every blog, every journal entry, every prayer—I feel him with me. I carry his love in every sentence I write, his strength in every paragraph I construct, and his memory in every moment that I choose to keep writing.

Lung cancer may have ended his life, but it didn’t end his legacy. That lives on in me and I do hope he is proud of me today.

Love you always, Papa.

Thank you for everything.

—Crystal Amon

Founder of PrincessCrystalSays.com and DragonStrongCircle.com