My dad, Ray (the original baldy), turns 65 today. Why should you care? Well, if
you're one of the handful of people that read this blog, there's a really good
chance that you know me - you may even like me. (Of course if you just come
here to see and hear about Elaine, I understand, but I don't want to get off
track.) It may be an obvious point to make, but I wouldn't be the man, husband
or father I am today if it weren't for my own father. I generally despise
talking about myself; I would much rather talk about my brilliant wife or my
certain-to-be-some-sort-of-standout-at-something daughter. But today I'm going outside
my comfort zone to let you know a few things about me that I've either
inherited or learned from my dad. I'm also doing this because these are the
sorts of things that don't get said enough in my family and I'm far better at
writing things down than I am at coming up with the words on-the-fly. Me no
talk so good.
My dad, who is 5'8" and was probably 170 lbs. at
fighting weight, went to what is now The University of Findlay in Findlay, OH
on a football scholarship. I don't remember for sure what position(s) he played
– maybe flanker or half-back, but I'm certain he was a fierce competitor every
minute on the field. While I sadly did not inherit the same level of competitiveness
that he possesses, I did gain his athletic ability. I was one of those little
boys who was naturally good at most of the things I tried, and my dad was
always there to encourage me, give me pointers, play catch, pass me the
basketball and take me to the track. What came along with this natural ability,
of course, was a lot of involvement in team sports. And on those teams I
unknowingly gained confidence in myself and learned to appreciate the feeling
of camaraderie that can only come from accomplishing something as a group. Both
of those things translate directly into my work, today, as I know I am capable
of accomplishing most anything asked of me, and that I am also able to work
well with others. For the most part, anyway. Heh...
Another skill that I got from my dad was my mechanical
ability. Admittedly, this skill was inherited in a way that really didn't
include much interaction on my part. It usually involved my dad asking me to
give him a hand while he was working on one of our cars or fixing something
around the house. I would come to wherever he was working and watch him, hand
him tools and listen when I asked questions about what he was trying to do. I
wasn't doing a whole lot of the fixing myself, but I was learning that you
don't always need to call a repairman if you have a few hours on the weekend to
devote to a problem. Living where we do now (i.e., in an old house with lots of
"character"), this skill is coming in handy. Pun intended.
It wouldn't be fair for me to say that I got my work ethic
only from my father, because my mother is almost never at rest, but I do have
to thank them both for instilling in me the value of a good day's work. For
most of my life at home, my dad worked out of his home office and I can't think
of a time when he wasn't in that room every day of the week, working hard to
ensure that me and my three siblings had everything we needed … and in my
sister's case, anything she wanted (just kidding, but she was VERY spoiled). I
know there was a lot of pressure on him then and that he would have done
anything to make sure that we were all safe and well taken care of. And now
that I'm a dad myself, I can appreciate it that much more. I have no idea how
he did it – we only have one kid and we're already wondering how we're ever going
to pay for her school. I can only hope that things work themselves out for us
and do my best to provide for my family the way that my dad did for ours. And
for that I have to say THANKS DAD! And Happy 65th Birthday! I love
you.
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