Lessons From My Father

My Father’s Books

Like my mother, my babi is a beacon of wisdom. Here are the lessons I treasure.

1. Women are the heart of the family, and therefore, they deserve everything a man can give—and more. Without question.
2. Households are a unit. You do what you can out of and for love (and so, he does it all: cook, clean, errands, laundry).
3. You can create anything using only what you have. (He is the handiest and most creative, inventive person I know. One day I’ll write a list of all the things he crafted for fun—or out of necessity.)
4. There is always a better deal. And there’s fun in saving money.
5. Our civic duties, as Americans, is a blessing and a right. So, vote. Attend town hall meetings. Do it all because you can and change starts at home.
6. Honey will move mountains. (Unfortunately, I take after my mother’s inability to be anything but straightforward.)
7. Bend, don’t break. There is resiliency in flexibility and dogged determination.
8. There is more good than bad in this world; you just have to open your heart to see it. (For example: His belief in American freedom and possibilities is so beautiful, it hurts.)
9. Trust that there is a reason for everything. What is meant for you will be yours.
10. Honesty and truth will always prevail. Let your life and choices be guided by them.
11. The Bee Gees are one of the best, albeit most underrated, music groups of all time.
12. Pick the bolder color. Why choose black? Why hide in neutrals? (He was the one who almost persuaded me to buy my first pair of “heels,” a patent platform Mary Jane in cherry red. Mom was reluctant about heels at all, and eventually, caved… but if I chose the black pair. I still think about that red shoe I left behind.)
13. Just be yourself: which, second only to his love, was the best thing he ever taught—and gave me freedom—to be.

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xx