What I learned from my father: Selflessness and Humility
During a thunderstorm on a summer afternoon in 1987, my dad and I (then 16) witnessed a school bus full of individuals with disabilities, many of whom could not walk, crash and roll on its side almost right in front of us. Gasoline was pouring out of the gas tank as a result of the crash. Without pausing, my dad pulled our car to the side of the road, ran to the bus and proceed to help getting all of the passengers out of the bus and move them a safe distance from the bus. He then stayed with the frightened passengers and comforted them until emergency personnel arrived. We then got back in the car and waited to proceed on our way through the traffic jam that had been created by the accident. As we waited, a news reporter approached and asked whether we had seen anything that happened. Rather than take the opportunity to announce to the local news audience that he was a hero who had put himself in danger by rushing to a bus in danger of exploding in order to help folks (which he was), he merely replied, "Sorry, we just got here."
Tim Sullivan
Baltimore
My father taught and continues to teach me many things...even at the ripe old age of 30! (LOL). Here are just a few of them:
Always be on time. (Although my father is always late, he managed to instill in me the importance og being on time.)
Take your time in accomplishing tasks and don't rush. You usually make a lot of mistakes when you rush.
When approaching a problem, try to think it through step by step. Don't just jump into it with no plan.
Sometimes, you have to be quiet and just listen to other people. (It took me a while to learn this one)
Always work hard and do the absolute best that you can. (He didn't so much tell me this...this I learned more from example)
Be patient. You can't always have everything right away. (I'm still working on this one...)
There are many other things that my father taught of the course of 30yrs. If I listed them all, I would be writing a book. These were just a few that stick out in my mind and that I seem to use the most. Once again, great column and I hope it reaches a multitude of people.
Jimmy R. Lewis, Jr.
