Often we go through life in a hurry worried about what we will do tomorrow, next week or even next year. Many of us get lost in the day to day grind of work, raising kids, and trying to achieve our self imposed “goals in life”.
No doubt I have been guilty of all of this. Few of us ever stop to appreciate how we arrived at our current spot in life.
However, this father’s day weekend I plan to take a step back and reflect on what it means to be a father. I will recognize and appreciate that I am the man I am today because of my father. That my children will ultimately rely on my example, as I did his, as they become men and, god willing, fathers. That I was blessed to have such a wonderful father who taught me a work ethic second to none. A father who showed me that your family had to be considered in every decision you made.
This weekend I will let him know that he clearly showed me the path to being a good father. Although I do not think that I have matched his selfless character as a father, I am sure that I have carried forward many of the excellent traits I saw as a child. I will thank him for his guidance and patience with me. I will thank him for his never ending confidence in me.
Heck, I will even thank him for all the rides to every practice and game he ever took me to… something I have now come to really appreciate! I urge all of you who have the opportunity this weekend to do the same. Dad, thanks for everything! I love you.
Happy Father’s day to all the dads out there!!
Carlos, his sister Barbara and thier DAD, Elio Leon