As children our roots start to grow before we have any idea of how important they are and will be to us. Parents, religious leaders, teachers, and coaches are some of the people who nourish that process.
Dad taught us incredible work ethic. He worked several jobs when our family was starting to sprout, making sure there was a roof over our heads and food on the table. He also taught us to work hard, intellectually and physically....with four boys, it was mostly physical. Faith was also a foundation for our family. My grandparents lived with great faith. When grandpa was too ill to make it to church, grandma would bring communion home for him. Working hard and having faith was the example of my youth. At our house we said grace before meals and went to church on a regular basis.
Imagine sitting in church and these four boys come walking down the aisle.
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| We'll be quiet...honest |
Odds are if you weren't praying, you probably started praying that we'd pick a spot several pews away because most likely two of us would soon be poking each other, another one would be kicking your seat, and the other was always dropping something.
Next, imagine those same boys in a 14 foot fishing boat. Man, talk about patience! It is a miracle all of us still have both eyeballs and no permanently lodged hooks in places they don't belong. To top it all off, we actually caught fish and usually a lot of them! Now, if you've ever launched a boat on a Midwest lake or river, picture the boat access. There's an obvious dock and ramp; what's not so obvious are the trees surrounding it, protecting it, just like dad did for us.
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