Happy Father’s Day to my Dad and my brothers

photo credit: crimsong19

Being a family of five boys made my Dad both very happy and very proud. He and Mom tried so hard to have a girl that they ended up with a basketball team. Dad always wanted us to be an integrated team of integrated individuals. He and Mom worked hard at making sure that we would always help each other, as brothers. That we would prioritize our family before anything else. My brothers became my best friends, thanks to their teachings. Many people ask me why I don’t write or talk as much about my Dad as I do about my Mom. The truth is, I am (in my Dad’s words) exactly 50% my Dad and 50% my Mom. I am (much as people may not realize) private, serious, analytical and sometimes introverted (like my Dad).

But I am also bubbly, outgoing and playful (like my Mom). My Dad has helped me grow in so many ways. He taught me how to play tennis, he taught me how to drive. He strengthened my abilities to make informed decisions and stood by my choices even when Mom may not have fully approved (because, as you may imagine, my Mom is pretty much like me, overprotective). Dad made sure I realized all the opportunities I was given.

I have a very vivid memory of my Dad supporting my decisions above everything else. I remember one time, when I was finishing my undergraduate in chemical engineering, I was being recruited by a subsidiary of Cementos Mexicanos to be a manager at one of their plants, because I was the highest grades in my group of peers. My Dad drove over 750 kms to get me to the plant for an on-site interview. He waited outside the car, reading for hours while my interview took place.

When I got back into the car, I drove back all the way. While we were stuck in Mexico City’s main artery (the Periférico) on our way back home, I asked him “Dad, why did you drive all the way to Tula – I could have taken the bus, or I could have even been flown”. He answered “because I love you and I wanted to be a part of your success. If they recruited you is because you are on to great things and I want to be part of your greatness today and always”.

The other thing that has always stuck with me when I talk to my Dad is his reflection about my own abilities. He always has said “Raul, you have an amazing brain but a heart that is just as great. Your ability to think is only matched and perhaps even a bit surpassed by your capacity to love”

That’s my Dad, and these are just a couple of the reasons why I love him so much. Today and every day, happy Father’s Day to him and to my brothers, who are amazing fathers in their own right.