Sunday, June 21, 2009

Things my father taught me...

Just as Mom taught me far more than the 5 things I listed on Mother's Day, Dad taught me an awful lot, but for expediency here's my top 5:

1. Never be afraid to try anything just for fun. Dad dabbled -- guitar and banjo lessons in his 50s, even took a course in charcoal sketching. With varying degrees of proficiency, to be sure. But always willing to try.

2. Knowledge is a blessing. You are as smart as you allow yourself to be. Dad knew what our potential was, and was only disappointed when we failed to recognize and capitalize on it ourselves. Some might say he pushed too hard. I appreciate the confidence he had in us.

3. You never know it all...there is always opportunity for learning. Dad never really stopped teaching and never stopped learning...often taking courses WAY outside his chosen field.

4. The mind can only absorb what the seat can endure. My students appreciate this to this day. Dad was an amazing educator. I took two classes from him (Calculus I and Statistics) and he was relentless. I don't think I ever had a teacher before or after who made the material live like he did. I'd be thrilled if I can be 1/2 the teacher that he was.

5. Love takes many forms. Love can be putting the bandaid on the booboo when you fall, but can also be checking in on you 10 times in the night after you've had a concussion, to make sure that you are really okay. Unheralded, unrecognized, but solid and everpresent.

I miss you, Dad. I miss your voice. I miss your hugs. I miss your wisdom. Every day. I love you.

10 comments:

  1. wow, what a multi-faceted person your dad was, pearl! Can you post a photo of him here? I know you have some good ones.

    My dad is still alive in a couple of hours we are going over to his house for a BBQ. My stuff about my dad is listed on my blog, but i'll put it here.

    1. When i first learned to drive he also taught me how to change a tire and parallel park his big boat of a Buick. a 1964 Electra, the big ass long one. He said you never know when you will need to do these things and i must be prepared. I have never had to change a tire, but i have had to parallel park the car.

    2. Always change the oil in your car no more than 5,000 miles. (3,00 is better.)

    3. Vote.

    4. Pay your bills on time.

    5. Never borrow what you know you can't pay back.

    6. Fly the flag properly.

    7. Have the guts to stand up for what you believe even if it's going to make people mad.

    8. Buy American - especially with cars, though he has relaxed this one because he thinks Hondas are great. (Can't say i have ever followed this one.)

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  2. I'll email one to you that I posted on my Facebook page, since you are still holding out on signing up there.

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  3. OK. Hard to post from iPhone, so won't do a whole list. Just want to say I'm grateful I can still wish both my dad and my father-in-law a Happy Father's Day. And they were both tickled to be called from Japan. Grace and I are wide awake watching cartoons @ 3 am in our LA hotel.

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  4. I did sign up for facebook but then I deleted it after I saw too many 'old' faces and then some of them actually sent me the email thing to add them to my list or something like that. I'm not against making amends (not exactly the right words for it) but I felt it was a game or trap and I just cant go there again.

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  5. woops sorry - I think you were talking to jojo-
    lol!!

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  6. grits, that is how i feel about Facebook, too. I am in touch with everyone i need to be in touch with and i wouldn't do well trying to add a Facebook on top of a blog. I would feel like there is always something that needs to be updated.

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  7. I get you about the people-you-don't-want-around thing. But like they say..."Just say NO"

    Works for me.

    I'm burning out on the blog thing. Facebook doesn't require me to be meaningful or profound. Less pressure.

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  8. I hear ya Pearl. I rarely, if ever have anything profound to say. Blogging is just a journal for me and sort of a memory scrapbook of my kiddo. Even so, I still run out of stuff to write about -lol!

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