Natural Born Leader

As Father Day approaches I’m reminded of my late father. I was blessed to have a day who loved me unconditional and I loved him equally the same.

My father wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t the dad who taught me how to ride a bike, tie my shoes or play sports.

He was the day who taught me life lessons and instilled knowledge and wisdom to his children. He was a teacher. What he learned if life either by hard knocks or educating himself, he passed it on.

I’ll never forget a conversation we had. I was fat mouthing about what I knew and he didn’t (teenager). I told him he didn’t understand. Life was different. What he was telling me didn’t apply in my time. My father’s response was calm, but stern, “Gina you think you know everything, but actually you don’t know shit.”

It was at that very moment I decided I would start taking in the wisdom of a man who had streets smarts, as well as, educated. He could solve a math problem in a blink of an eye. He knew english better than an english man. Yet, he could spot game and a con artist ten miles away.

I learned a lot about how to deal with people from my dad. I learned how to negotiate, lesson, be patient and have a sense of humor. He said these qualities would help me in acquiring what I want out of life. He was right.

My dad passed away almost ten years ago. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of him on some level. Sometimes I wish I had one more moment with him. I wish I could listen to some of his crazy stories that I often took for granted. I wish I could hear one of his rants.

I can’t bring back my dad. However, I can hold on to all the memories. I can find comfort knowing his kids, grandchildren and great grandchildren will know the type of man he was and values he stood for. I was fortunate to have a father who lived life to its fullest and shared his journey with me.

I’m blessed because my father was a natural born leader and encourage me to do and be the same. To all the father’s who understand their role as leaders and take responsibility, thank you.

Until Next Time, Continue to Soar!

Gina Grant