This post is the second in a series inspired by two men who have inspired me. I was recently listening to a podcast by Andy Stanley where he referred to a challenge that he read in the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In the book, Mr. Covey challenges readers to write out what you would like people you know to say at your funeral: your spouse, your children, your parents, your boss, your coworkers, and etc. The reason for this, is that you must decide what you want to be before you decide what you want to do.
Today, I will write what I would like to have my children say about me:
Dad loved God, he love Mom, he loved us and he loved to have fun. He was unselfish and generous. He put a lot of effort into his job, but he was never too busy or to tired to spend time with us. He involved us in the family business, but he wanted us to feel free to pursue something else in life if that's what we preferred. He didn't begrudge the money that his family cost. Yet, he was frugal in his spending. He loved to teach us life skills, and Mom and he gave us a balanced education that was a good preparation for life. He taught us and showed us how to give to those in need. He strongly encouraged us to give several years of voluntary service while we were in our upper teens. As we grew older, he allowed us to make many of our own decisions and rarely forced us to follow his wishes. Yet, when he did speak, we nearly always respected his wishes. He believed that his job was to work himself out of a job. So, he trusted us to make our own decisions (and face the consequences) early. He didn't micromanage our lives, but he was always there when we needed him. His goal was to have us be able to grow beyond where he was. He didn't want to hold us back in any way. Honesty and integrity were his rule of life, and he earned the trust of everyone around him. Dad wasn't perfect, and he readily admitted it. Yet, we wouldn't have traded him for anyone else. If I can be a dad like he was, I will be pleased.
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