Dad,
Happy Father’s Day. I miss you every day but especially today. I will never forget the lessons you taught me:
- Always put family first
- Hard work and perseverance pays off
- Occasionally shoveling the neighbors’ walk or mowing their lawn creates a better neighborhood
- Always cheer for two teams, the Packers and whoever is playing the Vikings (unless it is the Bears)
- Taking in a stray animal builds compassion
- Painting the ceiling the morning of a graduation party isn’t a good idea
- It’s hard to get paint out of carpet
- Furniture will only hide it temporarily
- You can’t hide things from Mom
- Sacrificing yourself for others makes everyone’s life better
- One of the purposes of grandchildren is to sneak you chocolate
- Duct tape will hold up almost anything (except tuxedo pants)
- If you have the means to help someone in need, you should do so
- The gas gauge warning light is not a suggestion
- Getting a station wagon full of kids airborne is really fun
- Having the engine light come on after landing – not so much
- Be firm in your core beliefs and flexible in how you apply them
- You should wear a suit to Christmas Mass, unless it’s your new track suit
- A jacket and tie over the track suit doesn’t help
- Golf carts are not amphibious
- Don’t take yourself too seriously
- Don’t let others take themselves too seriously, either
- Any time you can get a Catholic Nun to sing “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” do it
- Laugh often. Laughter lessens pain and increases joy
- Leave everything better than you found it
You left this world better than you you found it, and we are all the better for it. I will try my best every day to live your legacy.