"Grandpa, tell me the "giant" story again."

I looked into my 20 year old granddaughter's steel blue eyes as she looked at me with a knowing grin. The memories flooded back like it was yesterday.

"Well Punkin', it was an amazing time in history......."

A giant ruled the land who seemed invincible. He had been in battle for over a hundred years and came from a proud lineage that seemed like it would rule forever. His ancestors had been called out to battle time and time again but they had defeated every enemy who dared tread on their turf. Some battles were tougher than others and at one time it seemed as though the family would quit fighting. Then a few of the family members took things into their own hands and rejoined the fight with newly polished swords.

It took a while to convince the world that these new swords were better than the old ones from the past but eventually the giant's family became the most famous sword maker in the world. They were not the sharpest swords and were not made of the most exotic metals. The giant did not claim to make the most modern sword in the world. These swords were beautiful, required two hands to hold and made a lot of noise as they sliced through the air. They were the only swords made in the land of the giant and they commanded respect.

Sword makers from other lands made their own style of swords and many of them were much better swords. They were sleeker, lighter and made of much more modern materials. They almost never needed sharpening and you could fight in a battle with them all day long and not feel tired. Many were less expensive than the giant's swords, but alas, they were made in foreign lands. Millions of warriors lived in the land of the giant but they only had two choices to fight the battle with; a sword made by the giant or a sword made by foreigners. It was a very tough decision for many warriors. They longed for a sleek, modern sword made in their own land.

One day the giant was walking back and forth along the battle lines, taunting the latest sword maker who dared make a sword in the land of the giant. "You send a spear maker to fight me with swords!? Go back to making spears and stay out of my battle!" he roared. He still had the blood of his latest victim dripping from his blade. Although the spear maker actually made nice swords, they barely made a dent. The new swords had hit him right in his armor, where the giant was strongest. Each blow only made the giant laugh harder. The foreign sword makers watched from the sidelines and were happy to let the spear maker fight this battle. The spear maker knew he had to try something new.

The spear maker called his weapon makers together and told them to come up with a new weapon. "We are not going to make old-style swords anymore. We will leave those to the giant. You are ordered to make the best weapon the world has ever seen. Canvas the land and find out what the warriors really want. Use the best materials. It must be perfectly balanced. Polish it to the highest luster. Make a weapon that will make our warriors the envy of all the world."

The weapon makers set out on a six year trek. They traveled the country and asked the warriors to describe their dream weapon. Nothing was out of bounds. A lot of questions were asked, the weapon makers listened intently and took copious notes. They discussed countless details. It was a daunting task; Make the weapon cutting edge but leave no doubt that it comes from our homeland. A lot of time and money was invested by the spear maker. Eventually a new weapon began to take shape. The weapon makers went back to the warriors with several designs to choose from and eventually one weapon rose above all the others. They returned to the spear maker and said "This is what our warriors want and we can build it." The spear maker sent them away with this blessing, "Make it the best."

Some time passed before the weapon was finally ready. One day, the small team of weapon makers finally arrived at the front lines. The boldest warriors eagerly surrounded the weapon makers and picked out their own personal weapon. The giant and his army of minions saw the young, scrawny team of weapon makers. "Boys!?" he roared. "Hey spear maker! You send boys to fight your battles!?" The old soldiers behind the giant laughed in unison. The young weapon makers nodded to the newly outfitted warriors and they turned as one to face the giant. The giant stopped his strutting long enough to catch a glimpse of something totally unexpected. The new weapons gleamed in the sun as the weapon makers and warriors stared into the battle line without blinking. The giant quickly regained his composure. "You call that a weapon!? I wouldn't step on it if it were laying on the ground! It's the ugliest weapon ever invented!" He huffed and puffed and the old soldiers nervously nodded.

The giant continued his tirade until suddenly, in mid-sentence, his head snapped back. One of the new weapons had caught him right between the eyes. The old soldiers were stunned. They had banked everything on the giant. The new weapons kept coming and hitting the giant in places where he had no defense. He tried to swing the big shiny sword but it was no match for the new weapons. They were relentless and efficient. The other warriors who had been watching from the rear charged the weapon makers. "Make one for me!" they cried. The foreign sword makers looked on in amazement. The warriors who had always used their swords were laying them down in droves and clamoring for the new weapons. A lot of the old soldiers were sneaking away from behind the giant and asking to try out the new weapons. This changes everything, the foreigners thought as they shook their heads and returned to their far away lands.

"The rest, as they say, is history my dear."

My grandaughter thought for a minute then looked up and asked "Grandpa, what was is like when you got one of the very first new weapons?"

I looked her straight in the eye, "Baby, it changed my life."