Today is my Father’s birthday (cumpleaños) and he would have turned 87 if he had not passed away in 1999, just a few months past turning 77. It is a day that I celebrate in a special and familiar way (una manera especial y familiar), a day in which I have lots of quiet reflections about my Dad, about his impacts (sus impactos) on my life, his interactions as the head (la cabeza) of our family, and of course, how he treated other people. I know it is also a day that others in my family take the time to reflect (reflexionar) upon; I have discussed this with my Mom, who has now turned 85, as well as my older brother (mi hermano mayor) and my sister (mi hermana). It is hard to believe that it has almost been 10 years (diez anos) since my Dad died, but his impact on my life continues to today.
My Dad was a great guy (un hombre bueno), a true larger than life figure; a member of the Greatest Generation, a man who set off to World War II as a young adult, who rose to be a Capitan in the Army (el ejercito). My Dad fought under the command of General George Patton, who made such a strong impression upon him that my brother’s middle name (medio nombre) is Patton. My Dad fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was in Berlin when it fell, a true American heroic story, echoed throughout that generation (esa generación) for eternity. My Dad was only 21 when the War started and only 25 when he was leading other younger men to the finish (el fin) of the War before turning home. I look back on my life and have to admit (admitir) that at 25, I was no where near that point, in terms of responsibility and maturity (la responsabilidad y la madurez), and in some ways, I am not sure I can match it even now.
My Dad always valued education, coming back from the War and heading to the university (la universidad) as a newlywed on the GI bill. He became an engineer (un ingeniero) and later a successful business man, using his abilities to lead (conducir) and to understand (comprender) situations quickly. He provided a great life for his family, rising through the struggles (las luchas) to provide opportunities for his children to achieve in their own lives without the worry (la preocupación) of resources, both financial and familiar. For me, my Dad always supported my plans in school and was the first to promote (promover) the value of an education, and he sent me to the university not once or twice, but through graduate school as well (también).
By the time I was pursuing my doctorate (mi doctorado), I was well on my own, married and managing my own education, but my dad always encouraged my academic pursuits (mis actividades académicas). Although he passed away before I obtained my doctorate, I did try and honor him and his impact on me by including him in the acknowledgements (los reconocimientos) of my dissertation, and also by attending my graduation to receive my doctorate, something I had not done at any other level (ninguna otra nivel), never attending a graduation since high school. I thought this might be a moment (un momento) he would be proud of, and that I would put aside my selfish manner and participate in a ceremony (una ceremonia) not for myself, but to honor a guy who had contributed mightily to the success I had achieved, who had shown me how to be the man I am today (hoy).
The ultimate thing (la ultima cosa) that I always remember about my Dad, not only on his birthday, but almost everyday of the year (del ano), is how he would talk about people in one of two ways. He always said to me, “In the world, there are givers and takers, which one are you going to be?” Even as a young kid or a middle-aged man, that saying rings true (verdad), and my Dad showed me in his life how to be giver and how that was the right choice to make (hacer). In some ways, that is all it is about for me, and the world (e mundo) is full of takers all around, some unknown in my life, some close and well known. But, with the help of my Dad (mi padre), both in his life and in his memory, I can choose to be a giver each and everyday (todos los días).
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