Remembering Dad

            Strange how the older you get you pass back into admiring your parents.  In childhood they hung the moon and scattered the stars.  In adolescence they can do no right.  In adulthood you begin realize how important your connections are and realize that they might know a thing or two. 

            The older I got the more I was able to see my father for who he really was.  The more I realized what he had passed down to me.  The more I realized what parts of my personhood were like his own.  The more I liked what I saw. 

From him I got my love of travel, the excitement of going to new places, experiencing new foods, new cultures, and new ways of thought.  I remember looking at his flag display and just being in awe that one person could go to all those different countries, and wanting so much to achieve the same feat. 

            From him I got my willingness to argue.  To exchange in verbal fencing.  To explore subjects and see what other people thought.  I learned my willingness to change my opinion or respect someone else’s point of view.

            From him I got my propensity to talk to strangers.  Everyone is a person, with a mother and father and people that they love, he seemed to have that basic respect for everyone he met.  Whether it was a cashier or the guy pumping his gas. 

            From him I got my ability to withstand difficulty.  To put my nose down and do what needs to be done.

            From him I got my love of learning and desire to educate myself.  Because of his model I love knowing what is going on in the world. 

            Now I am left with my memory of him and the parts of him that I carry within me.  I am proud of both.