Lasting Lessons from My Dad
Sadly, my father passed away this past year (2013). He was 84 and lived a full life. Many times, he commented to me that he couldn’t believe he had lived this long. When he was a child, he told me, living to 65 seemed like a reasonable expectation. I am glad he beat his expectations and gave us many more years to be with him. Dad came from a generation where you lived up to your responsibilities. He never complained about them. He also believed that teaching children to be independent adults was an important parental responsibility. He didn’t coddle us, but also did not judge us too harshly. He was always there if needed.