The first person I would love to express gratitude to is my dad. He won’t be able to read this blog cause a) he doesn’t know how to use the internet at all and b) although he can manage to have a simple conversation, he wouldn’t be able to read English.
My dad is 72 years old and he still gets up early every day and is off to work before it is even 8 am. The business he has grown from the ground up over 40 years ago, supports our family but also supports his entire extended family to a great extent. It’s not one household he’s in charge of, but many.
I’m grateful for how he planted the entrepreneurial spirit in my mind from a very young age and got me thinking of how to make money doing something I love without giving up my freedom to work for somebody else. My dad believed in my dreams. He’s the type of man with minimal emotions shown but I know through things he does and says to me that I’m daddy’s girl. He loves me and he celebrates my successes and is sad for my losses.
I love listening to him tell me stories of when he was just a kid and had to leave school at the age of 10 or 11 to help his family financially. He was sent off to a nearby carpenter to dust the floors and straighten out bent nails, and basically learn the trade. Now 40 something years later, he is still passionate about carpentry. He used to tell me how he would try to work smarter so he would finish his tasks faster and be able to take off and go to the beach. And how his boss did not let him go despite finishing early, so he’d stay and tears would roll down his cheeks. No wonder I honor my freedom beyond anything else. And no wonder I love the smell of sawdust.
My dad showed me the true meaning of generosity with how he gives without expecting much in return. He also taught me to avoid debt and buy only what I can afford.
He makes wooden doors at his factory, but he’s surely opened many doors for me to play around and discover my own path with the safety of knowing daddy is close by for the rescue should I need it. For you dad, I’m most grateful and I only wish to get to the point where I can truly give back. I love you.