Today is my father's birthday, he passed away in 1992.
My father was a loving and devoted husband and father, and the gentlest man I have ever met. His patience had no bounds , he taught my mother and my brother and I how to drive in the city streets and survived, still loving us.
He allowed us to be ourselves and he was always there for us.
I chose to be an engineer like my father because of my love of math. My first year in school was horrible, I was constantly doubting that I could do it. My father told me to follow my heart and that if I wanted to continue to do it because I want it to not because of him. I know he was proud to have a daughter engineer, but he would have been proud regardless, he just wanted my happiness.
My father was kind to everyone, and respected by everyone he knew. He was a peace maker smoothing a lot of rifts between our extended families. Everyone knew he was the man to go to for sound advice, he never judged he just tried to help.
He was a talented engineer who also could name a classical piece of music and its composer as soon as the first notes were played, he appreciated art in all its forms, he was an avid reader and loved movies...not your typical engineer.
I am proud to be his daughter, and I hope that I continue to make him proud.
What wonderful words, thanks for sharing that with us.
ReplyDeleteYour love for your father shines through. My papi was Cuban - he died 5 years ago next week. He too was an engineer with a deep love of music and family.
ReplyDeleteYou left a comment/question on my blog about the Green River Tunic. I've just started it --- barely cast on, so I haven't had trouble yet. If you contact WEBS at www.yarn.com, I'm sure they can help you. They've been very helpful with other pattern questions . ..
Lisette,
ReplyDeleteWhen did your father go to Universidad de la Habana? He also attended Belen for most of his undergraduate schooling. My father left Cuba in 1948, ending up in Connecticut, marrying a CT Yankee in 1953. Unfortunately the little Spanish I speak is from school -- my mom didn't speak Spanish at all, so we didn't speak it at home. We never really got to know his family either - his parents died when he was 12, his brother lives in Brazil, his sister in Miami and Spain, and most of the rest of his family is in Spain. I understand more Spanish than I can speak --- I loved Papi dearly but he was highly critical of my Spanish teachers who didn't teach Castilan Spanish and therefore made it hard for us to practice at home.