Tribute

So... I think it's been long enough since my dad passed away for me to try to collect my thoughts and record some things I'd rather not loose. My dad was a really great man. I wanted to write about the things about my dad I most admire and hope I can live my life in the same manner.

• Working Hard and Serving Others

  
  My dad was a really hard worker. No matter what he was doing, he worked as hard as he could and tried to do the best job possible. I remember dad had a whole lot of "projects" around the house. Things he was working one that he never finished. Part of that I think was the perfectionist in him, part of it was that he was so busy helping everyone else get their stuff done. I learned from my dad that when you do something for someone else you make sure to do it the best you're able.



• Friendliness

  
  My dad would talk to anyone around. He would try to make people smile. Even when he was in so much pain from his cancer that he could barely walk, he still tried to cheer up the people coming to visit him. I remember when an middle-eastern man moved into our town and opened a gas station. York County PA is not well known for tolerance or treating outsiders well... Anyway, my dad started talking to this man when he would get gas. My dad mentioned to me how he was disappointed with how people were treating him. Eventually, dad found out that the gas station needed some painting and wallpapering done. Dad decided to help him out. When I'm at grocery stores/malls/etc I tend to be "busy" and ignore the people around me. My dad noticed people, sometimes to my chagrin (especially during high school). I hope someday to be comfortable enough to be able to see the people around me and help them out like my dad did.



• The man behind the camera

  
  I ALWAYS knew my dad cared about me and was proud of my acheivements. I also was aware of when I disappointed him. I feel bad for friends who have unsupportive or non-existent fathers. My dad's faith in my helped me do things I never thought I'd be able to. It was like a safety-net. No matter what I knew dad cared, and that he'd encourage me to try something else. Dad came to EVERY event I (or my siblings) were ever in, usually with a camera. After his death, we were trying to find video clips of dad from all the myriads of home movies he took. It was really hard because dad was almost always behind the camera. If I had something important going on in my life, I knew my dad would be there. That's something I always want to give me children.

I really really want to write a lot more, but I'm going to try to limit myself to an hour of blogging tonight (more than I've done in any other two-week period). Hope you all enjoy.