Father’s Day

Today marks my very first father’s day, and I have to say I have been taking it all in and enjoying every minute of it.   Most importantly, I guess for the first time it has given me an opportunity to really look back at my own relationship with my father and reflect on all of the lessons he taught me.  As the Deacon said in church this morning, some of it is good, and some of it is bad, but I wouldn’t change it for a second. 

1. My father taught me, there is only one rule in life…you know what the rules are and if you break them, then you should be prepared for the consequences.  This always made me feel like an adult, until I broke one of those rules and then I always felt like he should have outlined them a little better before hand.
2. My father taught me how to learn.  Although I dreaded having him help me with my homework because he would not give me the answers but instead spend an extra hour or two making sure I understood the mistakes that had been made, it has made everything else I have done in life easier.  I have always thought his calling was to be a teacher. 
3. My father taught me that a hug will teach a lesson much better than scolding or a spanking…whenever me and my brother or sister would fight (and I say me and my brother or sister because I was always somehow involved in the hugs) my dad would make us hug for several minutes in the most public place available to prove that we really did love each other. Not only did this teach me that fighting wasn’t worth the embarrassment that came along with it, I honestly believe that it allowed me to have good relationships with my siblings later in life.
4. My father taught me to throw a baseball, catch a football and shoot a basketball and also how to still get excited even though it has to make you cringe every time your kid steps out onto the basketball court.
5. My father taught me how to drive a stick shift…the lesson here was that patience is key when raising kids.
6. My father taught me that long red hair and carrying around an extra 50 lbs maybe grunge, but like all fads it isn’t really all that cool…ok, actually, I learned that one the hard way.
7. My father taught me that while style and fashion are important, one may never want to go hiking in dress slacks and Italian loafers…actually I think he learned that one the hard way.
8. My father taught me that actions go a lot further than words and that the legacy that you leave behind will hopefully be the summation of a life filled with  positive actions.
9. My father taught me that the art of debate was just in developing sound reasoning for your argument but no matter what, he would always find some way to be right.
10. My father taught me that I will never truly know what love is until I had a child of my own…and like everything else he taught me, he was right.

Thanks Dad for everything…I hope I’ve done you proud!