Shine the Light on the Work

I don't have a lot of pictures of my father. I think I'd like to find a few more with other members of my family if they have time to help me out. Plenty of lessons learned though. My father was a man of lessons, teaching them and passing on wisdom when even when he was just simply trying to get things done. I've shared a few here in the past such as his philosophy of "a job isn't worth doing unless you're going to do it right."

I'll always remember doing work on the car with him (that I hated) and his frequent request to "shine the light on the work" or always making sure "you have the right tool for the job." Those two statements, while very specific at the time, stick with me to this day and I find that I can apply them to a great many situations.

He was an excellent soccer coach and created a foundation for soccer in the town that I grew up in, eventually elected to the state soccer hall of fame and having a tournament named after him. I'll always remember the winter soccer months when we would borrow a local gym, bring out the boom box and make 15-18 little kids dribble soccer balls to the sounds of Paul Simon and Rhythm of the Saints. He never played himself, but he knew the importance of the intangibles.

He was a great father and I never told him that enough. Thanks for everything dad - you are truly missed.