On this Father’s Day, I will pay tribute to my dad my publishing some of his words of wisdom to all my readers.  So for you, and the other person who reads my blog.

Now, my father has lived an incredible life so far, full of trials, humor, grief, success, love, friendship, service, learning and transformation.  I am so proud to be my father’s child, that I talk about him quite frequently.  This post in no way can convey who my father is and how I revere him, so I will just post some little phrases that Dad has spoken, and hope they serve you as they continue to serve me.  Repitition is the God of wisdom, right? 

Life lesson:  Honor your parents.  Never forget where you came from and respect your upbringing.  The world is full of experiences and new responsibilties, from work to travel, to raising our own families.  We all are short on time and as we grow into adults, we become consumed with moving up in our careers and leading our own lives.  While this is expected, we cannot forget about our parents.  We must cherish who they are and what they do for us today, not just in the past.

“I didn’t raise you just so you could leave.”

Life lesson:  Although making lemonade out of lemons is a common way of looking on the bright side, we must develop and utilize our strengths, not complain about our weeknesses.  We all have talents, and using our talents and developing our skills will bring success.  The best ingredients make the best dishes, and the same goes with our accomplishments. 

“You can’t make chicken soup out of chicken shit.”

Life lesson:  Don’t be so negative.

“Don’t be so negative.”

Life lesson:  Appreciate what you have!  When thinking about material things we must always take stock of what really matters and really appreciate the gifts we are given.  Constant attainment of material goods will not bring us happiness.  True entertainment comes from creativity, imagination and making the best of what you have.

“You know what toys I had as a kid?  I had two, two by fours.  That’s what I played with.”

Life lesson:  Life is confusing for people.  It always will be.  Becoming upset with confusion is pointless.  We must have faith in God, as He knows our path, and we can find our true self only by serving  Him.  He knows what is best for us, and He is watching us always.  We are safe under His grace.  We must trust in God always.

“Drop kick me Jesus, through the goal posts of life.”

Life lesson:  Language ties us to our heritage.  It allows us to converse with people in speech and through culture.  This allows deeper levels of communication and not knowing the language of your family is allowing yourself to be left in the dark in conversation and not taking the gift given by our ancestors.  It can also lead to being lost in rural areas, not attaining the popular vote in any future political campaigns, and looking stupid period.  Learn Spanish. 

*Insert rant about needing to learn Spanish in Spanish with wild hand gestures here* 

Life lesson:  Everything takes a bit of strategy.  You can’t just hope for the best and go for it.  Think about it, visualize it, and execute the strategy.  Works in life, works in basketball.

“It’s all in the wrist.”

Life lesson:  There’s no place like home.

“But THIS is the Land of ENCHANTMENT.”

Life lesson:  Work hard with a kind heart and people will follow by example.  Yelling with a closed mind will get you absolutely nowhere.  People may fear you, people may do what you advise out of this sense of fear, but respect is not attained through this form of “leadership.”  A true leader is a servant of the people.  A good listener.  Someone generous and caring.  A strong sense of right and wrong coupled with a caring disposition.  Words mean nothing without action as evidence to support those words.  Lead by example.  Your example comes from being a follower of Christ.  People do not always understand by hearing, you must prove yourself.

“You don’t demand respect, you earn it.”