A father's wisdom and work

As Father's Day approaches, I offer these words of wisdom from my father:

• "Rise and shine, you're way behind."

• "Any job worth doing is worth doing well."

• "You don't know how? Well, it's time you learned!"

• "I'll give you something to cry about."

• "Time's wasting."

• "Up and at 'em."

• "Put it back where you found it."

• To a picky eater: "Boy, you don't know what's good."

As you might surmise from these quotes, he was a hard-working man for whom no job was too big or too difficult, whether it was putting in new kitchen cabinets or digging a septic tank line with just a shovel. He had a work ethic that he expected from others as well, and he laughed so hard he'd gasp for breath. He loved ice cream and would patiently crank the freezer's handle to get his dessert. He made friends with everyone he encountered, and his easy conversations with strangers embarrassed his shy, reticent wife. He left his children some words of wisdom, an appreciation for humor and a willingness to work at whatever task came along.

This year would have marked his 95th year.