A Happy Father’s Day Shout

Growing up as a girl your father teaches you how to smile and laugh and navigate life. He is there leading by example showing the value of hard work, dedication, and family. A father is also the first man who will teach a girl how to love, and how to be treated and loved. I was blessed with a father who provided all those things and so much more.

As the youngest of 10 kids and a hard-working tradesman all his life, my dad was good at the basics which we all know as professionals, the basics can be and typically are the foundation of our personal and professional relationships, the business we conduct and the impact we can have on the communities where we live.

My dad always found calm and resourceful ways to work through conflicts and challenges – the term industriousness comes to mind when I think of my dad. He always showed me there is always a way to accomplish your goals – sometimes you just need to be creative and think outside the box.

My dad was the person I turned to for the tough questions and my father offered common sense words of wisdom I quietly heard and stored away in the back of my mind, even though he knew I was determined to figure things out on my own. A couple of my favorites…

“If you can lay your head down at night with a clear conscious then you know you did the right thing.”

“Life is hard enough as it is, why make it any harder.”

My husband shares many of those same qualities with his children today and for that I am grateful. He is there to guide and also to challenge, at the same time allowing our daughter to make her own decisions to build confidence in herself, her abilities and her future.

Thank you to my dad, the father of our family and all the dads and father figures out there making a difference in the lives of so many. One day, someone like me will be typing similar sentiments about the difference you made in their lives. Enjoy your day, cheers!