Lessons from my Dad

This is kind of a sad week for me. In the last 7 years both of my parents have passed away and it just so happned that they died within two days (and 6 years) of each other. My father passed away 7 years ago today and I celebrate his life and his contribution to mine. My Dad taught me a lot of important things. Here are some of the most important. Needless to say you will be hearing about my Mom in a few days.

1. To love books and knowledge. My dad treasured books and seemed to have loads of them. If I wanted to buy a book, I would ask my Dad because he would never say no. My dad encouraged us to learn and do well in school.

2. To laugh- My Dad had a great sense of humor. We had a lot of good times as a family and laughing was a priority. For example, it was a family tradition to copy Saturday Night Live on Saturday night and watch it after church on Sunday. This was especially true of the good seasons with Martin Short, Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest. He didn't appreciate the crass stuff. He also played great pranks. He would move the wall to his cubicle over just a little bit every day making his cubicle a litte bigger and his neighbors smaller until his coworker noticed.

3. Men can be good. The example of a Dad can't be overestimated when it comes to a girl's attitude towards men in general. He was a gentle, mild mannered father who never raised his hand and rarely raised his voice. He was faithful in his callings and was a reliable and dependable provider. A loyal husband as well. My parents had a lot of fun together. I credit him for helping me to chose a husband who is so much like him, in all the important ways.

4. How to deal with Weaknesses- My Dad was painfully shy as a kid but he worked hard at changing that as a grown up. He joined Toast Masters and became a great public speaker and as long as I knew him he seemed to easily converse with strangers and friends. He is quite the example to me of making strengths out of weaknesses

5. Love of History- Of all the people in my family, other than myself, my Dad was the most sentimental. He loved history, both of the world in general and family. I grew up with my Dad being the recorder of our family memories . This explains why Scrapbooking with all its girliness seems so silly to me. It's a guy thing! Because of his love of history we grew up knowing a lot about the world. He made sure we knew. With all the traveling we did plus his knowledge I learned a lot about the world as a kid and I appreciate that. I still love anything history.

6. Seeing the good in others. My Dad was a worrier, but he always seemed to have a positive attitude about others. He always tried to see the good in others and tended to give them the benefit of the doubt.

7. Art talent- What little art talent I have I owe to my Dad's side of the family. He and my Grandpa where great artists. My dad drew endless cartoonitures of people and events in our lives. He also won the contest for designing the Mascot for his division when he worked as a government worker. It does me proud to see my kids wearing their t-shirts with "Otto" on them.

8. Staying Healthy- My dad was always exercising. He wasn't the type to hit the gym but would often walk and do sit ups in our living room. He also gave me a healthy amount of guilt when we would eat junk food. His voice is still in my head, especially whenever I buy my kids (and me) sugar cereal. That is why I don't buy it more often I think. Not that desserts were banned in our house, he was usually the one making us chocolate shakes or popcorn.

A good example of something my Dad would do is the following story. When Tim and I were visiting with my parents in California we stopped at In and Out burger. My Dad was getting a shake and asked Tim if he wanted one, Tim said

"No thanks" but then my Dad asked again a few times. "Are you SURE you don't want one?" Finally Tim gave in. As my Dad passed him his shake he warned,
'These things will kill you ya know"

I often miss my Dad, especially when I see how much Joseph is turning out like him and think of how much fun they (and all my kids) would have had together. But I am grateful for the opportunity to have had him as my Dad and know that my kids are who they are in part because of how my Dad raised me. I am grateful for the Gospel in my life, another thing he taught me. That is probably the most important thing he passed on to me. With my knowledge of it, I know how to be happy in this life even when my parents have passed on. I also know I can see him again some day and he will always be my Dad.