As a kid growing up on a hardworking ranch, my dad taught me and my siblings many invaluable lessons through his actions. He was up with the sun every morning, rain or shine, to tend to the land and animals. His calloused hands and well-worn boots were proof of the incredible work ethic he embodied.
Yet as demanding as the rancher lifestyle was, my father always found a way to be steady, patient and nurturing when it came to guiding his kids. He had remarkably high expectations, it’s true. But he never asked more of us than he thought we could deliver.
That belief he placed in our capabilities, no matter how simple or monumental the task, is one of the greatest gifts he could have given. It fostered a quiet confidence that we could take on anything through hard work and perseverance.
I’ll never forget one particularly challenging chore from my teenage years that exemplified this. My dad asked me to go out on my horse and single-handedly gather all the wandering cows from the far pasture and bring them in. This required navigating my horse through a swampy thicket that made my stomach turn in knots. I asked if there was another way around, knowing it would take much longer but might be safer.
In his matter-of-fact way, he simply said “No, you’ll go through the draw. You can do this.” Then he gave me a couple pointers on getting the horse through the mud safely. With those words of assurance, I knew giving up wasn’t an option permitted.
Sure enough, about halfway through that dreaded swamp, my horse became trapped in the muddy water up to his belly. For a moment, fear started creeping in and I thought about turning back. But my dad’s voice echoed in my mind “You can do this.”
It took what felt like ages, but eventually I coaxed that horse through to the other side. As I rounded up those last wayward cows, sweat-soaked but beaming with pride, I realized that seemingly simple act of belief from my father gave me the grit I needed to persist.
He never doled out praise lightly, but I’ll never forget the look of quiet approval and respect when I returned home with the herd later that evening. Just like the hundreds of times before, his steady confidence was the catalyst for me to dig deeper and discover untapped reserves of inner strength.
This Father’s Day, I’m incredibly grateful for a dad who displayed a rare combination of toughness and tenderness. His unwavering expectations and words of belief shaped me into someone who wasn’t afraid to take on life’s inevitable obstacles and problem-solve until a way forward appeared.
To all the dads instilling that steadfast inner confidence and resilience into the next generation through your examples and simple words of assurance – thank you. You are planting seeds of grit into your kids that will bear fruit for decades to come through their own perseverance, hard work and problem-solving abilities.
From teaching that very first skill at tying shoes to imparting wisdom about life’s bigger hurdles, a father’s faith in their child’s capabilities is an irreplaceable inheritance. One that equips them to forge their own path with courage. We are forever grateful.
