It’s funny the memories that you keep, isn’t it?

My dad was an interesting character, and a big influence on me when I was growing up. He was stoic, could build or fix anything, and was the hardest working man I knew. He was the guy that friends and the neighbors would come to, to get something fixed, and could be the life of the party, as long as kids weren’t around. He drank beer, raced cars, owned two filling stations, and was a “man’s man” when men could still be that.

We didn’t talk much, he and I. He didn’t have a whole lot to say. My Grandfather Obert was the same way, so I guess that’s where he must have got it. It’s amazing how much I learned from so few words, though.

He taught me to work my hardest. This was a hard lesson for me to learn. At 13, I would procrastinate and mess around and do anything to avoid a chore like mowing the grass or bringing in wood for the wood stove. It wasn’t until he was particularly frustrated with my lackadaisical attitude that he would say the words that would change my life forever.

“Do you want to grow up and be lazy and shiftless like “so-and-so”!?”

“So-and-so” was a person we all knew but no one respected because of a lifestyle unsuited for any sort of success. Well, those words pierced my soul and turned that lazy and shiftless kid into a workhorse for the rest of his life. I got my first job shortly after that, before I could legally do so, and never forgot that lesson.

My dad is now in his eighties and finally winding down. We talk almost every day. He’ll call me to tell me about a bird that landed on the deck, the weather, or share his morning routine of banana bread and a banana. He turned into a chatterbox! I know he’ll read this and when he does, here’s my message to him and all the dads out there: I love you and Happy Father’s Day!