(My dad and I at the local drag strip)
When it comes to random acts of kindness and generosity, I honestly think it's going to be pretty tough for anyone to beat my father! Sure, my father has flaws just like I do and everyone else in the world. But this man has so many great qualities, he is the reason for me being who I am today.
(My mom and dad celebrating something, sorry I can't remember)
He was born in the 1950's, back when times were extremely different from today. He was raised by my grandfather which was a mean man and also my grandmother, both which I never got the privilege to see or meet. My grandmother died in her 40's right before I was born. My grandfather (On my fathers side.) died about 10 years ago, I think. It's a complicated story but to sum it up, My dad and his mother were beaten by my grandfather. He was an ex-marine and dealt with an iron fist and was extremely strict. When the time was right, my grandmother left him and took my dad with her. I think my dad may have been around 13 at the time.
(I took this picture when my mother graduated college. I was very proud! My dad gave her a single rose.)
After several years had passed, my dad tried to reconcile with him. He even named me after him, wrote him a letter with my baby picture included and asked if he would like to meet his grandson. My grandfather never replied and never wanted to have anything to do with his son or me. The reason I'm implementing this in to my story is to paint you a picture of what kind of life my father had as a child, it wasn't the best of childhoods to say the least.
(Here is a photo of my dad and I at a classic car auction)
Despite not having a father growing up after the incident, my dad grew up to be an outstanding man! Although I never got to meet my grandmother, I've heard enough about her to know that she deserves credit for the way he turned out. He has a work ethic that you just don't find in people these days. He is an extremely hard worker and is still working a full time job while in his 60's. Hell, he's in better shape than I am. He's the type of man that will ignore pain and illness just so he doesn't have to miss work.
(Celebrating my moms birthday)
My dad has helped me throughout my entire life. He has been there for me through thick and thin, no matter what. I could call him right now and ask him to dig a ditch for me (Which I would never do.) and he would be on his way with a shovel. My dad has taught me how important family is and once they're gone... they're gone, so you better spend as much time with them as you can.
(Celebrating Mother's Day. That's my sister with my dad.)
I could go on and on about all the things my dad has done all his life that deserves to be recognized but he recently done something that inspired me to share it with you guys. He is a supervisor for a company and has about 15 employees that he is responsible for. He would be a dream supervisor to work for, he actually cares about each and every one of his employees personally. Well, he has a female employee that is a single mother and is barley able to make ends meet. She's a hard working and dedicated employee that is literally struggling to get by.
(My dads birthday cake)
Well, one day my dad was walking through the parking lot at work and happened to notice this particular employee's car. What stood out to him was the tires, they had cloth and wires showing! In case anyone reading this doesn't know what that means, it means that the tires are way overdue to be replaced. At that point, it is extremely dangerous to travel any distance at any speed on them.
My dad asked her about the tires and if she knew that they were in that bad of shape. She told him that she was aware of how bad they were but couldn't afford to have them replaced. Knowing her situation, my dad asked her if he could move her car from where it was parked because maintenance was going to repaint the parking spot lines (Just a small fib :) and her car was in the way. She gave him the keys and he took her car to the local tire shop and had a new set of Goodyear tires put on and also had the front end lined up.
Dad never said anything when he returned with her keys. "He loves to surprise people :)" At quitting time, the shifts were changing and the lady went out to her car. My dad has to stay in his office for a while after shift change to do paperwork. The lady comes in to dad's office with a shocked and confused look on her face and asked about the tires. My dad simply told her that he couldn't in good conscience not do anything, knowing that she needed new tires but couldn't afford them. They lady had a tear in her eye and said that she would pay him back as soon as she could but didn't know how long it would take. My dad told her that he would not take her money for anything and that the tires were a gift. The lady broke down crying and asked if she could hug my father. She said that was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her in her entire life. My dad is my hero!