Happy Father’s Day, Dad! There’s a special bond between a Father and a child that no one can quite describe but good Fathers are hard to find. “Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.” – Anne Geddes –
As a child, my dad and his family migrated from Mexico to California to seek a better life – “the American dream.” He lost both of his parents at a very young age and it was a difficult transition being raised by his older brothers. There were so many times when my Dad wanted to give up, especially being an orphan, but his tenacious drive in life fueled him to keep pushing through the difficult times. He created a life for himself and served in the military during the Vietnam War. During that experience, he lost friends left and right but he found a way to survive even in the middle of a gruesome war.
While I was growing up, he always worked two jobs to provide for our family. Most of his working career has been in the insurance industry and he accelerated above everyone earning prestigious awards and trips to amazing places. The business trips I was able to go on with he and my Mom were life changing. I’ve been attending seminars since I was a little girl because of these trips and I remember thinking, “Wow! My dad works with all of these smart people when he’s not at home? How cool!” The most memorable trip was to Banff, Canada, where we had the pleasure of staying at the Banff Springs Hotel. That’s no hotel btw – that’s a historical castle!!
I’m honored and happy to announce just one week ago he received the “Top Medicare Agent of the Year Award” throughout the state of California. All these years later, he’s still rockin’ it!
As a little girl, he’d always read to me until I fell asleep. I’m a huge Og Mandino fan because those are the books my Dad read to me. Thinking back it sounds funny that a 6 year old was read Mandino books for bedtime stories, but I loved them! My favorite was, “The Gift of Acabar.” It’s an inspirational story of a little boy who dreamt of changing his life for the better. As I matured and started my career in sales, he passed down his Mandino collection – “The Greatest Salesman in the World,” and “The Greatest Salesman in the World Part II The End of the Story,” to refine and enhance my skills. One thing about my Dad is he has an unrivaled thirst for knowledge and he has always encouraged me to read. I then went on to win several awards, a Rolex watch and more. Do you see the correlation? I guess that’s what they mean when they say, “Like father like daughter!”
I know it hasn’t been an easy road for my Dad. He’s proof that you can overcome the worst obstacles even as a child. Rather than dwelling on his challenges he used them as opportunities to strive to be the best. Dad, I’m so proud of you and the loving, and caring man you are. I know you’ve made a lot of sacrifices in your life to keep us going and it hasn’t been easy. I also know you and I don’t always see eye-to-eye but that’s expected since we’re so much alike. Thank you for putting up with me all of these years and being such a great Father. I’m so proud of you and all of your achievements. You’re still filling up the walls with awards and that’s pretty amazing!
Now it’s my turn to give back to you. I have my first keynote speaking engagement tomorrow at the Disneyland Resort and you get to come and see me in action (stay tuned for that post). All those seminars and business trips you blessed me with have touched me in more ways than you know. Now I’ll be the one on stage presenting, inspiring the young and old. I love you so much, Dad, even more than yesterday and I appreciate all you do for me and D. Thank you for the gift of life and for being the most amazing Father. I’ll see you at “The Happiest Place on Earth!”
Editor’s Note: Angel Soria is an Internet Marketing Consultant, entrepreneur, expert contributor for the Tulare Kings Hispanic Times, social author for www.SaltyWaffle.com, and currently obtaining her Executive MBA at Fresno State. If you are business owner and you qualify to work with Angel, with her help you will dominate your market in 6 months or she will do your marketing for FREE until you do. Visit www.facebook.com/AngelSoriaInternetMarketing for more information and follow her @talk2angelsoria.