Happy Fathers Day, Dad!

When I think of my Dad, so many things come to mind... My Mom refers to him as a southern gentleman (and does her best to help him look like one whenever possible) but I think he has always considered himself just a country boy. He has a story or saying for every situation.. He is a legendary storyteller and is "talked into" telling one at every family gathering, party, or get-together. I've been told that I'm a good storyteller too on occasion, and I think of Dad every time. A golfer that introduced me to the sport (a little later than he would have like, but..) and gave me the tools to do it. A fisherman that knew Fox Creek like the back of his hand and gave us the gift of just enjoying dropping a line in the water, whether anything bit or not. The rides there and back were jut as memorable in that gold El Camino listening to 8 tracks of Waylon, Willie, and the Statler Brothers... I never remember my Dad getting angry, unless one of us was disrespectful to my Mom or another adult. Manners mattered.. Always. That's a lesson that I have tried to pass on to my boys... Respect and understanding where you came from were important too. All the stories that Mom and Dad have told weren't just stories, they were history lessons that taught me who I am.

I love my Father. I will never be able to repay him for what he's taught me. About being a man, father, husband, worker, brother, and human being... At the end of the day, I hope i am what my Dad taught me to be ... My greatest hope is to live up to his example. I'm just a country boy and a southern gentleman here in Louisiana, and I'd never want to be anything else. I love you, Dad... Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Mothers Day, Mom....

I haven't written in a while, but with Mother's Day coming up, I felt like it was a good time to tell my Mom how much she means to me... My Mom has definitely been one of the most influential people in my life. If I were pressed to say who I am most like, I would say her, but I do feel I got the best of both my Mom and Dad. Mom cares about people. She genuinely does. And that’s saying a lot considering the self-absorbed world that we live in. She has an intense love of her family, from distant cousins to kids and grandkids, which is returned with an equal amount of intensity. All of the grandkids treasure and look forward to any time that they get to spend at Mimi’s House. In truth, I treasure every moment as much as my kids. I miss being able to see Mom and Dad more than I will every truly be able to express to them.

So why is my Mom so great? Its impossible to put your finger on just one or two things. We have so many memories and examples to draw from that just highlight all the things that we love about her. She was the hard working and loving example that we saw during our childhood always encouraging us to also work hard and, equally importantly, to respect others and be good people. And after those long days at the bank, she always made sure that we sat down as a family for dinner and talked about our days. She was and is the person that always knew when something was wrong and asked the right questions to help us talk them out. She always listened and gave us her honest opinion whether we liked it or not (and more often than not helped us to see when we were headed in the wrong direction or off base). She was the wonderful daughter who reinforced the importance and the blessings of family and appreciating the opportunity to get together and spend time with them as often as possible. She is the entrepreneur that took her eye for beauty and aesthetics and turned it into a business that made so many couple’s weddings days just that much better. She is the healer that touched people through her work with Hospice and through her church. She is the woman who was initially afraid and intimidated by technology but who overcame those fears and created, published, and maintained her own blog. She is a writer with a love of words and a unique perspective on life that truly loves to share those perspectives with the world around her. She is the photographer that sees and captures the beauty around us that most of us fail to notice, from a flower petal to a string of rosary beads. She is, to use my Dad’s words, “tough as a pine knot” and refuses to let the health curves that have come her way beat her, overcoming every challenge with patience, tenacity, and a deep love for and a mutual reliance on my Dad. She is an incredible and caring daughter, who, along with her sister and my Dad, continue to provide for and take care of my Grandmother with that same patience, tenacity, and intense love. She is an incredible Mimi, who’s grandchildren idolize and love her into their 20’s with the same intensity that they did when they were 5.

See what I mean? I’ve barely scratched the surface of what my Mom means to me. She is always there as a sounding board and moral compass. I shamelessly use her advice today and pass it on whenever I can. I’ve had people thank me for advising them to ask for something that they wanted but were afraid to pursue. My mom used to say, “Worse thing that they can say is no. You won’t get anything you don’t ask for…” I’ve also had people express hesitation or reluctance about doing something or not doing something. “What’s the worse thing that can happen?”, Mom used to say. One of my coworkers still thanks me to this day for helping her to see both of those things by sharing the advice that Mom gave me. She said it really put it into perspective for her. She and my Dad have made me the man that I am today, and I only hope that I can live up to their example. I love you, Mom. Happy Mothers Day!