I hope you will enjoy a Free Bird Times news article I wrote about my Dad, ‘Woody’ in June of 2007.
Although he passed in 2018, he continues to impart his wisdom.
May your Dad, wherever he may be, continue to inspire, support and love you.
It’s no coincidence June 17th is not only Father’s Day, but Eat Your Vegetables Day as well. If it weren’t for fathers, or mothers, for that matter, telling us we could not leave the table until we ate our vegetables, imagine all the bushels and bunches of vegetables that may have gone to waste.
It might surprise those who know me to hear me say I do not intend to expound upon the healthy benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, despite that being one of the lessons my father taught me’. What I prefer to touch upon is something my father has been teaching me my entire life, and the one which has impacted me on the deepest level … the lesson of positive thinking and living.
My (very healthy, soon to be 89 years young) father, who recently was sort of ‘rushed’ to the hospital after not feeling well for a few days… spent the evening and following morning being tested, probed, imaged and so on. Thinking he may have had a stroke, since his face was drooping, he experienced tingling in his head, and his language was difficult to understand… he maintained a positive outlook, proclaiming he felt great! He was eventually diagnosed with Bell’s palsy and released the next afternoon. Throughout his entire ordeal, he remained extremely optimistic and charming, surprising the nurses and doctors with his cheerful Irish personality.
Throughout his recovery, after drinking out of straws, and eating as best he could, he never once complained, and greeted each day with a profound belief that this would pass in no time. (Prognosis for recovery is anywhere from one month to a year.) Two weeks following his release, on the day of his visit with his doctor, I noticed a significant improvement in his speech and asked him how he was feeling; “I feel GREAT!” he responded. Indeed he did. He told me that because he ‘felt fine’ he ‘was fine’ – and added that he felt the doctor’s prescription would be something to the effect of “Go home young man, you are well!” Guess what? He was right.
My father has taught me the beauty of believing in myself and having faith. I have been witnessing his incredible belief throughout my lifetime, but to witness his self-healing moved me to tears. In the words of Norman Vincent Peale “When you wholeheartedly adopt a ‘with all your heart’ attitude and go out with the positive principle, you can do incredible things.”
Thanks Dad, for the lessons you have taught and continue to teach me, you truly embody the power of positive thinking and living!
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