Proud Papa

I was talking with a client of mine recently when the conversation turned to our families. My client said that she was from a large family of about 7 children and was raised by a father who worked his way up from being a teacher to an executive in the school system.

He raised his children on the value of education, hard work and never listening when people told them they couldn’t do something.

This client is a female executive in a male-dominated field and she has achieved major success in her career by instilling her father’s teachings into her daily life. She said the main thing that helped her to believe in his ways was the example he set in his own life and the success that he was able to achieve.

She marveled at how proud he was of his children’s successes and how that meant much more to her than his many individual accomplishments. All seven of his kids were college graduates, found great jobs and own their own homes. I could hear the emotion in her voice as she spoke of how much he enjoyed visiting their homes during the holidays. It meant so much to him to see the evidence of his children’s success.

The more I listened the more I realized how much our fathers were alike. My father was a very successful high school football coach and teacher who raised his 5 children on the same teachings about hard work and education. All five of his children are college graduates, have had successful careers and own their own homes. My dad also was at his proudest when he visited our homes around the holidays.

It will be eight years next month since my dad’s passing. I always think of him a little more around the holidays. The last thing he told me before he passed was that he was at peace and knew he was leaving the world a better place because of the 5 children he was leaving behind.

So as we all sit around the table to give thanks, make sure dad gets the thanks he deserves and make him proud one more time.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend,

Ro

Ro’s Words of Encouragement will be taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday. We’ll be back the week after Thanksgiving with more Words of Encouragement.