My greatest inspiration in my life

[BigPapaDean]

Over the 56 years of my life I have someone I always have looked up to, even tho he has been gone for about 29 of those years. He taught me every thing I learned as a child growing up about life the way he knew it. I didnt know it then because I was stupid but I had the best life you could ask for as a child growing up. I was raised in south west Colorado on a large dryland farm where we grew acres & acres of wheat and pinto beans. Yes the work was hard but you always had a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. The number one thing he taught me, was to treat others the way I wanted to be treated. He taught me love for the great outdoors and all the wildlife in our part of the country. I was the next to the youngest of 8 kids and was spoiled by my elder siblings for sure. He taught me don't panic under any circumstances and things would be ok!

   Today has been one of those days. I have been struggling with that one. I can't help but miss him and I still tear up when I think about him. He was the most loving understanding human I ever knew. "Papa you will never know it now but I did listen to all those things you taught me and I love you as much today as I did back then." 

   Friends, in this world of instant gratification, we get so side tracked and forget who set the example for us to be the person we have become. I would love to hear the inspiration/s in your life. I believe I will be strengthened by your stories.

[Pharticus]

Ever notice how serious posts get so few replies?  But if you said FU to Funstick this thread would be 12 pages long?  Human nature I guess....

 

One of my greatest inspirations was a my 8th grade Algebra teacher/football coach.  He had taught the "elephant man" in California (not Joe Merrick) before moving to Idaho (got tired of kids spiking his coffee with shrooms and such).  He always had this look on his face like he was about to kill a kid for screwing off, yet he really cared about his students and players.  I remember him throwing away all the tests one day because he said he hadn't done a very good job teaching us as indicated by our test scores.  Every once in a while he'd grab a friend of mine, put him in a sleeper hold, say "goodnight", and lay him out in the middle of the hall for everyone to step around!  That was, of course, before teachers could get sued....  Every year high school graduates would come back to his class just to say thank you.  

I wasn't gonna play football in 9th grade (still Jr. High back then) and he got wind of it.  He come over to the house just to ask me to play.  Not because I was the greatest player ever, but because he wanted to surround himself with good people.  I don't think I played harder for any coach then him....

 

Here's to Joseph Keeney!  I think I need to pay that man a visit.

[Bushape]

Wow BigDean I thought you were going to say the Lord. I am glad that you had a Dad that would actually be a Dad to you, that is awesome. That is how life should of been. After my parents divorced here in Washington, my Mother married a man from SW Oregon, we moved down there just before I turned 11. I was torn away from all of my family, including my oldest brother and sister. After that I rarely seen any family. This was in 1969. The life was rough and the work was even rougher. At the time I simply just hated it. I thought it was way too much for a kid to have to do.

But later I figured it all out. I got married in 1978, I had an instant family my wife had already had two kids, and we had one together a month after we got married. That is a long story. I adopted the two kids and treated them as my own, much like my stepfather had done. He raised several kids that weren't his own blood. But to see this man that whom literally worked himself to death, but loved children.

I felt totally blessed to have this man as my stepfather. But he died before I could tell him that. My kids barely got to know him.

After I adopted my kids, I moved back up to Washington, just to let things cool down and to get the kids away from that area for awhile. We moved back two years later and the same night we moved back my stepfather passed away. I happened to go by his house the next morning and he had died in his sleep.

But every where I go I still feel his presence and everything that he had taught me. Every place that we have lived, he has lived not to far away. I have been in my present house here for 19 years and he used to live a 1/4 mile away. The mill that I worked at for 7 1/2 years, well he was buried on a hill that over looked it. I even had a roof job that I did here in Washington and it was on his old place, the apple orchard and the old house were still there.

The most important thing that he told me was. "The most important thing in a man's life is to work hard and take care of his family".

 Well his meaning of working hard was pretty extreme and I tried to uphold that. And I went too far. I worked hard for over 35 years and over 25 years I worked 60 - 80 hours per week. And now I am on SSI after having physical and other issues. The Dr.'s said I just wore my body out. Pneumonia 14 times didn't help. So now I am just scrapeing by and selling my shit to live.

But I can at least say that I did my part in taking care of my family. And be proud of that fact. Maybe not me, but they matter more than me. But on the other hand it doesn't do any good if I ain't there.

So take care of your families and yourself.