What I learned from....Dad

Time for my next installment of this series. Takes a lot of thought to put one of these together. I wanted to do my dad next, but there's so much to say here. Let's see how it goes.

Use my talents....
Wow. So much to say here. I grew up all but worshipping dad, and his abilities to "fix anything". He credited his growing up on a farm for this. They had to be able to basically fix anything, or starve. And he did his best to pass this on to his sons. What I'm able to do, both at my job and around the house, I credit dad for. It's served me well, and made me fairly self sufficient.

Use your sense of humour....
Who doesn't remember dad for this?! Always with the tease. I can still hear mom...."Oh, Hal!!!"...shaking her head. I loved that! Get him together with one of his brothers, or brothers-in-law, and look out! I credit him for my obnoxious sense of humour! Oddly enough though, he was on anti-depressants a good part of his life. Ironic.

Be honest....
This brings to mind what dad told me our Bishop told him one time when I was a teenager, "Rick is one of the most honest young men I know". Dad taught me to be honest, stand up for myself, and be proud to be a Gustafson.

Have a good work ethic....
I recall talking to him when I was probably in my early teens about having a job. I was worried about how you get one, and then how you keep one. One thing he said has always stuck with me..."If you are always willing to do whatever you're asked to do, you'll always have a job. If they ask you to clean the toilets, do it!" Well, it's been years since I've had to clean toilets on the job(but I have), but I always try and do my utmost best at whatever I do. It's kept me steadily employed for 30 or more years now.

Be a friend....
Dad was always a friend to me. He and I could talk about anything. He was always there for me, especially thru the tough teen years. Mom could be hard to talk to sometimes. She always felt everything had to be a teaching moment I guess. That's ok, but a kid growing up needs to be able to just talk things out. Dad was good at that. Sometimes I have a little too much of mom in me in this area, though. Not sure how well I did raising my own kids. But I tried to emulate this. Only my kids can answer this I guess.

Believe in God....
He was brought up in what I like to call a generic church. His mom attended a non-denominational community church, and was very firm in her christian beliefs. Dad grew up reading the Bible, and had a firm belief in God. He always taught that all churches do good, even after he joined the LDS church. He always stood up for others' faith, and respected them as long as they respected his. This could go a long ways if it got spread around a little more today.

Well, that's a brief list. But it hits the highlites.
Dad's last years weren't so good. He really had a tough time, especially after mom passed. But he and I still had some good visits. And I think I started to see the "old dad" the last year or so. I hope he knows what he meant to me, and still does.
He was my hero.
Still is.