Lessons Learned From My Father

I wrote this several years ago and it seemed a good time to repost. I spent a lot of time this past weekend thinking about my Dad (as I'm sure many of you did as well). Here's to all those great fathers who made such lasting memories.

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Cecil Wayne Perry was my father. He was not a famous man, but he was well-loved and well-remembered by all who knew him. He grew up on a farm in San Augustine, Texas. He once studied to be a minister. He served his country during World War II. He was a welder, then a roofer, and eventually formed his own roofing company that thrived in Waco for over three decades.

Along the way, he married and raised four sons and a daughter. Although it’s been more than twenty years since he passed, I think of him often and I have always credited him with shaping me into the man, and father I am today. Allow me to share a few of the lessons I learned from him.

Love your family and take care of them. I don’t recall ever seeing my parents have any serious arguments. I’m sure they had their share of disagreements, but they didn’t fight in front of the kids. At least not that I can remember. My father loved my mother. And he loved his children. And he worked hard all his life to provide for us the best he could.

Love God. By the time there were five kids in the family, my parents’ attendance at church had waned considerably. Still, they took us to Vacation Bible School and encouraged us to attend church as we got older. The first Bible I ever read was provided by my parents and I knew they were Christians. They attended Emmanuel Baptist Church and when I was seventeen years old that’s where I was baptized.

Take pride in your work. My father had a strong work ethic and he passed it along to his kids. We worked summers with him and we learned to do the work well and be proud of the job we had done. And when it was not done well? Tear it off and do it again. (Shingles, of course!) My father could point out to you every house he had ever worked on and he did so proudly, knowing that he had done his best on that job and every job he had completed.

Have fun and relax. My father loved to hunt and I although I never went, I loved to hear him tell the stories. When we were younger, he taught us to fish, to bowl, and to roller-skate. He knew how to let go of work and enjoy himself and he taught us to do the same. He also loved to read and he shared his collection of paperback westerns with his sons (as long as we were careful and put them back when we were finished).

Discipline and a sense of right and wrong. Growing up meant learning how to behave and when we didn’t, we were punished. No one enjoys getting disciplined, but I never doubted my father’s love and I always knew the correction was for my benefit. He was trying to teach us because he loved us and we loved him for caring enough to steer us in the right directions.

As a father myself, I’ve tried my best and hopefully, my kids will always know that I love them and I would do anything for them. And I hope I was as good a father to them as my father was to me. Love you, Dad! And Happy Father’s Day to all the men out there who have had the chance to experience the blessings of parenthood! It’s a tough job, but the rewards are priceless.