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As I stand here today and think about words to express how I feel about my
father, I realize how truly blessed I was to have him as a father. After the
death of my mother, my father never re-married, and raising a girl was no easy
task. Regardless, he learned to French braid when I wanted my hair to look
beautiful every day. He learned to do nails when I constantly got the polish on
my fingers. He was both my mother and father, in every way.
My father was one of the few people that was with me throughout my life every
step of the way. There are not enough words to express the wonderful influence
he has had on me, and my life. He taught me to work hard in order to achieve my
goals. He taught me the value of hard work, and of having an exceptional
education.
More than that, my father taught me the importance of self-respect, and of
knowing one’s self worth. He taught me about loving one’s self. When I felt
self-conscious about my new hair cut when I was nine, he made me feel beautiful.
There is not enough time today to tell all of the kind words my father spoke to
me. I believe the only time I saw my father lose his temper was when I was
child, and I hid his coins because I wanted them. I swore that he must have lost
them, but he knew better.
My father was a collector of many things, with coins being his favorite. The
walls of the study were lined with collectible coins, and I will never forget
how many years it took for him to get them all. I remember when I was very
young, there were only two. Now, years later, there are hundreds.
Just like my memories, and the memories of everyone here. Where there used to
be one or two memories of my father, now many of us have hundreds. Whether my
father is with us physically or not, those memories will never disappear. May he
rest in heaven.
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