My Father - Patriarch for Family and Religion

My father was an elementary school teacher while I was growing up. I always looked up to him for help with schoolwork, especially math. I always thought my dad was the smartest person in the world because he always knew the answers to everything. Even to this day, I think my dad knows a lot, he knows a lot about history and can tell you the answer to just about anything; he is like a walking encyclopedia at times, he has survived and lived through a lot as well. He has served our country through World War II and has seen our country struggle and survive through the depression era, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as the current war in Iraq. My father is a great person and a hard worker for these reasons and for many others, my father is the patriarch for family and religion.

While growing up, I remember the days when my dad used to teach each of us, my two older sisters, younger brother, and younger sister how to brush our teeth, say our prayers before bed and most of all taught us how important it is to earn an education. Throughout school I was a shy child growing up and hated school with a passion, but my father was always there to encourage me, by reminding me to “take one day at a time,” because time goes by so quickly and before I knew it I would be looking back wishing I had enjoyed life more fully. He emphasized to all of us the importance of education, encouraging all of us to obtain higher degrees following high school. My younger sister is yet to complete her degree, but for her it has been a struggle due to her physical handicap and the fact that she married young. It is our hope that she will join the rest of her siblings and earn her college degree in the near future.

My father has always tried his best to be a great role model for all of us. He has been a good husband, though I can not say he has been perfect, but he has tried and struggled with hard times on a teacher’s salary raising a family of five. He has taught all of us the value of money and how important it is to prepare for a rainy day. My father has made us all pennywise, but at the same time we also know how to enjoy life and live within our means.