Things I Learned From My Father

One of my most popular weekly posts continues to be my "What I learned this week." 

I decided to take the format from those types a post and share "Things I Learned From My Father" in honor of Father's Day.

Here we go:

1. Listen. My father is typically very quiet. He's listening and he is processing. He is not a reactor, and that makes him very easy to relate to. 

2. Have a strong work ethic. I rarely remember my father ever calling in sick to work. He would get up around 3 or 4 am five to six days a week. He would return home around 6pm. He would go go go.. and not stop. Do what you have to do - that was his philosophy.

3. Travel when you can. One of my dad's passions was traveling as a young man. He was provided the opportunity by joining the Air Force. As a kid, he would make a point to make sure we visited interesting sites along our vacation route to the Midwest to see his family. He would pull out maps and cultural books and we would lay on the floor.. tracing our finger from Macon to some random city in some random country, then we would look up the information in the encyclopedia. 

4. Enjoy good food. If there is one thing my dad likes - that's to eat. Probably not a "good" thing, but he does appreciate good cuisine. In turn, going out to a restaurant can be a lot of fun with him.

5. He typically will say yes. (Unlike mom.) He listens, he processes and he will help me make something happen.

6. Stand by your partner. My parents have been married 41 years (this August.) They had some good times and some bad times. But they weathered the storm together. I like that and respect that.

7. Cultivate the earth. Perhaps I was destined to care about organic gardening. I grew up watching my father reading "Mother Earth" and gardening books. He had a small garden and would have happily lived off the land. My maternal grandfather was the same way. Again - cultivate.

8. Classic music in the am. There was only one day a week we would wake up with my dad. That was Sunday morning. I remember hearing the calming sound of the shower, then you would smell his cologne.. followed by the drifting aroma of coffee.. followed by classical music. He would wait calmly in the living room for the rest of us to get up and get dressed. 

9. Suffer your children to go to church. LOL - That was a sign outside of our Sunday school, and my dad took it seriously. I think out of my whole family, I would say my dad and I are more on the same wave length when it comes to religion. He still prayers before every meal, has read books on the saints, and seems more in tune with the sacraments.

10. Coffee is fuel. My dad drinks waaay more coffee than I ever could, but he always has a cup. He would start his day and life would run smoothly for him. Something he passed down.

11. Read Read Read. My dad can tear through a book in about 8 hours. Does not matter how big. He is a fast reader and a voracious reader. Always surrounded by books - also, NEVER lay your book down.. he will snatch it up and start reading your book!! 

12. Enjoy a good pipe. Okay, I'm not a supporter of cigarette smoking, but if I smell a good pipe or cigar, it brings back memories. He does enjoy a good pipe.

13.  Penmanship is a much. My dad has an impeccable handwriting - AND he is a calligrapher. I remember trying to write like him, which was next to impossible.

14. Enjoy the outdoors. My father finds peace sitting outside. I am the exact same way.

15. Finally - Practice good manners. My dad used to have impeccable manners. Granted, he's getting older and let's just say... he's loosening up. lol