Celebrating Fathers

"The best money advice ever given me was from my father. When I was a little girl, he told me, 'Don't spend anything unless you have to." -- Dinah Shore

“The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” John Wooden

Two quotes, two fathers. One depicts mine and the other Daniel’s father. Yesterday was Father’s Day and it is the day we pay tribute to our Fathers and Grandfathers and the men who have impacted our lives for the better. Daniel and I had a discussion about the things our fathers taught us that we want to pass along to our children. So here is what we came up with:

*Always do the right thing, even when it’s hard.  Daniel’s Father never flinched at doing the right thing, even when it means the result will be difficult. Hermes, Daniel’s dad, and now Daniel have always been willing to do what’s right no matter what the situation or circumstances are.

* A firm belief in God. Both or our fathers believed in God and trusted him. My father went to the extent as to asked people on a job interview if they believe there was a God. If the answer was no, he didn’t think much of them and threw the application into the trash.

*Keep your word.  If you say you will do something then follow through. Be someone people can count on to do what you commit to. If Daniel says he will do something you can rest assured he will. I have never known him to drop the ball on anything.

*Work hard and do the work well. If you are going to do something then give it 100%. My Father never did anything without putting his entire effort into it.

*Be productive. My Father used to start every day with a task list of items to get done and he stayed completely focused until he finished the task on hand. He made the most of his time every day. You never found my Father wasting time when there was work to be done.

 *Be on time. Daniel has always set the example of being on time. He considers it a matter of integrity to be on time. This is one I have struggled with my entire life as I always seem to be running ten minutes late…but it is because of Daniel’s example I continue to try and improve on this one.

  *Be Goal-oriented. My Father always had the habit of setting goals and then worked hard to achieve them. He taught me to set goals at a very young age when it came to saving money. He would tell me how at a very young age he had to work very hard because his mother was a widow and he at age fourteen supported his mother and brothers achieving what he had set out to achieve. From a little business to a larger and even larger business. That was his goal, to be a successful businessman and he achieved it.

*Believe in yourself. When things used to get tough in my life I knew if I called my Father he would tell me that I could handle it. He forced me to believe in myself because he believes in me and told me I was capable. Not only that but he thought I was like a Saint. There is something incredibly powerful about a Father who tells his child he believes in them and they can do it. The impact of this one thing alone is probably one of the most impactful things to any child’s self-confidence. I never felt like things were out of my ability to achieve if I truly wanted them and was willing to work for them and that attitude came from my Father’s constant encouragement telling me I could do it. This has served me well my entire life.

*Integrity matters most. Always live your life with honesty staying true to your values and beliefs. I can honestly say that Daniel never saw his Father tell a lie of any kind. Talk about a powerful example to set for your child.

When I really stop and think about all the life lessons our Fathers has taught us (as well as our Mothers) I really feel the impact a parent can have in a child’s life. The impact of a parent’s words are one thing but the impact of their example is life changing.

 I hope that I can always strive to have the same impact in the lives of my own children.  Thank you to Fathers and Mothers who make the effort to teach us all. What a tremendous blessing you are!

There you have it! Today we are going through papers as we are preparing to move and have found a lot of pictures from both of our fathers. In our hearts we know they are enjoying a great father’s day in heaven.