What can I say about the man who taught all of his kids the proper use of the word “fuck”?

My dad demonstrated on a daily basis what sacrafice was.  He spent over 30 years at a job he hated because it put food on the table and gave us great health insurance. 

This is the man who would forgo anything he personally needed if one of his kids needed something.

If my brother and I had a baseball/softball game at the same time, this guy would run between the games to make sure he saw both of us play. 

My dad was a man full of wisdom.  Wisdom he learned from his dad.

• What goes around comes around.  Make sure what you are giving is what you want to get back.
• If you borrow something, return it in better shape than how it was leant to you.
• If you are not having fun playing a game, then you are playing it wrong.  A game is something you do for fun and/or entertainment, if you aren’t having fun, you shouldn’t play it.
• As long as you can say you tried your hardest, you didn’t fail.  You only fail when you stop trying.

 This is the guy who wasn’t afraid to be wrong in front of his kids.  If he overreacted to something, he was the first one to apologize.  And, he didn’t just say he was sorry – but explained why he was wrong.

When his dad died my senior year of high school, he came into my room and we cried together.  He traveled five hours each way to come see me play softball in college.  He showed, on a daily basis, there was a significant difference between being a father and a dad.  He has always been dad.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!