Originally posted 19 June 2011.

In honor of Father’s Day I am sharing some of the important life lessons I learned from my Dad and my granddad’s.  I was blessed to have a Dad, Granddad, Great-Granddad and several uncles who were positive influences in my life.

#10: It is okay to be a nerd.

#9: To be careful where you park your ride. This was a painful but practical lesson my dad taught me. When I was in 5th or 6th grade I left my bike setting in the middle of the driveway. I had been warned not to do this. After many warnings my dad “impounded” my bike. He chained it to a rail in the garage and charged a small fine. I think the fine was around 25 cents. However, because I couldn’t pay the fine that day I also had to pay interest. By the time I had the money the total was a couple of dollars.

#8: Encouraged my creativity.

#7:  You are never too old to try something new.  This was something my great-granddad modeled.

#6: Actions have consequences, both positive and negative.

#5: Pay attention to the small things. My dad had a  shoe repair shop.  He insisted that all shoes be cleaned/shined. He even insisted on refinishing the soles of every shoe in for repairs. At the time it seemed ridiculous because refinishing the bottoms of the shoe. That had nothing to do with the quality of the repair work.  He said that people judged the quality of the repair job in part based on the way the shoes looked. If they looked as good as new, then customers would be impressed by it. I learned that paying attention to the details is helpful.

#4: The importance of hard work and doing a job right. My dad may have been one of the toughest boss I have ever had.

#3: Family is important. 

#2: To keep trying in spite of obstacles that at times appear insurmountable. My dad always tried to encourage me to keep going when things were tough.

#1: They shared God’s love in both actions and words.