Tim Russert was one of the best interviewers in the news business,
anchoring Meet the Press and asking business and political leaders the tough
questions. He was remembered as an extraordinary journalist, a great father and
a great son. He wrote 2 books about his father. How ironic that he died just a
few days before Father’s Day.
Now I want to brag about my father. I’m very much in
gratitude to have my father and my mother still with me. My dad is the best
example of the “Greatest Generation”. It’s hard for me to imagine a time when
he had no responsibilities. Growing up without a father himself, he supported
his mother and sisters even as a child. After joining the military as a
teenager, he left Omaha, Nebraska
and came to California.
He says he could “smell the opportunity” in the Golden State
and knew that he would raise his family here.
The day I was born was one of the happiest days of his life.
I held on tight to his hand and created a father-daughter bond that would last
my whole life.
Here are some great lessons I learned from my father:
- Be willing to sacrifice for what you want. Here’s
something you don’t really hear about in today’s entitlement society where
people think they can have it all and have it now. My father was the first one
in his family to attend college, but as a student, he had to work 2 jobs,
sacrificing sleep and partying with the guys.
- Your word is your bond. If my father say’s he’ll call you
at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon, you can set your watch by his phone call. If I have
any integrity, it’s because of him.
- Be loyal to your family. When my mother was in the
hospital recovering from surgery, my father was in her room for 24 hours a day,
even having the nurses bring in a cot for him to sleep in.
I’d love to hear comments and stories about your father.
