“He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”
~Clarence Budington Kelland
Before he founded Matchmaker, my Dad was a salesman for 25 years. Since most of his pay came from commissions, Dad spent a lot of time during the week traveling to visit clients. Fortunately, he was all ours on the weekends!
I have wonderful childhood memories of camping, fishing on Long Island Sound, and watching Giants Football games on Sunday afternoons. Dad was willing to do anything to support his kids–as a child, I didn’t realize that not all kids had Dads who were willing to get up at 4am in freezing temperatures to take them to hockey practice!
The above quote by Kellend definitely rings true for me. Dad was a hard-working, yet easygoing guy. He was confident without being arrogant. He was comfortable in his own skin, never worrying about what others thought of him, yet always kind and respectful to everyone he knew.
Dad also had a great sense of humor. He had an endless inventory of jokes (I rarely heard a repeat). And, he could deliver all of them flawlessly. This was long before the age of the internet and to this day I have no idea how he learned and remembered so many jokes!
Dad has been gone almost 9 years now and I sure do miss him. If I had one wish it would be for my kids to be able to spend a day with him. They will never meet grandpa in this life but I hope that some of his qualities have passed through to me.
One thing I know for sure is that following my Dad’s example I will give my kids the greatest gift a Dad can give: his time! This weekend, you’ll find me playing in the yard with my girls. It reminds me of another great quote by Harmon Killebrew:
My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, “You’re tearing up the grass.” “We’re not raising grass,” Dad would reply. “We’re raising boys.”
Happy Father’s Day Weekend,
~Bob
