Enduring lessons from my father

Like most parents, my father expected a lot of his 10 children (eight boys and two girls) and he pushed them — by encouragement and the occasional lash — to fulfill their potential. I remember the strong grip of his hands as he taught me how to throw. Just as I remember, with perfect vividness, the strength of his arms as he hugged me after I won the 1976 high school oratory contest, or the abundance of joy in his face as I received my college diploma.

More importantly, though, my father was there when I didn't meet his expectations. He taught us the personal satisfaction of doing a job well, but he never abandoned us when we fell short of our aspirations. Beyond the father/son cliches of practicing sports together, dad was always there. It is amazing what men can achieve when their fathers believe in them.

My father's idea of manhood was bound up in a deeply spiritual mandate to fulfill one's potential. The values that he taught me — personal responsibility, economic independence, thrift, the importance of having a strong work ethic, the joy of learning, ambition and perseverance — I now realize are essential ingredients to success.

When we embrace these timeless values, the walls between us fall and other differences — skin color, background and politics — become inconsequential. We see that we all want an essential joy for our families and ourselves. There is more uniting us than there is dividing us.

My father understood that faith and family values were the foundation that helped us navigate our lives. Those same beliefs are what motivate my siblings and me as we go about our lives. Every day we try to model our conduct on the example my father set. We thank him for teaching us right from wrong and instilling in us the values that have kept us searching and striving to stay on the right side of our Creator.