He Taught Me to Be the Best I Can Be

Man crushing….I have been doing this since the day I was born. My dad has to be the man that I bring into the lime light with this discussion Topic. I was going to talk about my amazing husband, but if I sit back and think about exactly how I got to be the person I am today, the credit has to go to my dad. My dad is the most amazing father one could ever ask for. To start he came right off the boat from Italy, made a life for himself in lil ol’ Fort Erie and was determined to start his own business. As if that is not enough of an example, growing up as a child to be the best that you can be he also told me over and over again how endless my potential was and would always be.

He pushed me to push myself, not only in school, but in my personal life. When things get tough, I am someone who has those slip ups like every other person and want to sit back and have myself a good ol’ pity party about why my life is not working out for me. In times like these it was no joke, he would scoop me up back onto my feet (sometimes literally off my arse) and encourage me to push forward, looking for the next great thing to dream of, strive for and conquer. Try arguing with an Italian…and it doesn’t go well.

So when in my life did my dad really help me turn from a girl who had at times felt she lost her way to a woman who believed she was unstoppable? The day he died.

As tragic as this was I finally got why my success was of the utmost importance to him. I was his legacy. He saw something in me that I couldn’t see for myself. His encouraging words, determination to help get me to University and to live the life I had always dreamed of became crystal clear in that very moment. So how could I let him down? I couldn’t and so I trudged through the mud of life and made my way to the top. My successes are in part because of him. He paved my path with the end of a stick, to guide me in those years I needed guidance and then allowed me to choose my own endings. I can’t thank him enough for all those wonderful years spent laughing, crying and yelling at each other. This month, my salute is to him for all of it, leaving me with an awareness into myself that can only be coined as priceless.

Contributed by: Meghan Manzo; http://www.healthandhealinghomeopathy.com