My dad was a man of strong character; he was fiercely loyal and well loved and respected by many. He was a true “rags to riches” success story; he came from modest beginnings and worked tirelessly towards gaining many great achievements that he first shared with others before himself. Nothing ever was simply given to him. He had a tough exterior, but at his very core, my dad was a deeply compassionate man that always put the needs of others above his own.
My mom and dad used to always joke about whose side of the family I took after more. My mom would say that all my positive qualities were definitely from Hahn blood and my dad would say that all my traits are common to those on the Moon side. As I grew older, I realized more and more that the highest compliment someone can give me is that I take after my dad.
Although he seemed by many as “all business” and very direct in nature, it was through that personality that he taught me many life lessons. One lesson was that family came first, no matter what. My brothers, my mom and myself never were in want for anything, my dad would find ways to obtain whatever it is that we needed, no matter how trivial the object may have been.
My dad was humble enough to know and embrace that my mom was the center of our family. He loved my mom deeply and although he wasn’t outwardly emotional in nature, in his quiet ways, he always ensured that my mom felt loved and respected. Once in a while, I would see my dad bring home a box of my mom’s favorite Japanese sweets just for her or if there was something that my mom really wished for, my dad would disappear into his closet and return with money from his “emergency savings” that was secretly located in his sock drawer.
Not only was he a loving husband, my dad also went above and beyond what fathers are typically called to do. You tend to see fathers act solely as providers for the family with little time for the day-to-day details. However, my dad did whatever he had to do to be both – an excellent provider and a dad who was actively involved in our everyday lives. He made sure that we never skipped any traditions like picking out a Christmas tree every year and with every occasion – big or small – there was always a proper celebration. I remember one time when I was in elementary school and there was a track & field event. It wasn’t a special race of any sort, but my dad took the time off from work so that he could be my cheerleader. When my race started, I heard my dad yelling loudly from the sidelines. Everyone around him probably thought he was the dad of the first place runner. I eventually came in last place that day, but with the way that my dad cheered me on with no shame of where I placed and with how visibly proud he was of me – I felt like I had won a gold medal.
Among my friends, I often hear about how their dads are only truly proud of them when they achieved some sort of academic milestone. I felt this pressure throughout college but every time that I thought I was letting my dad down because I didn’t receive top honors, my dad would find ways to show me how proud he was of me. If I started a new job, he would relay to me articles that he found in the Wall Street Journal that reported about my new company. He would then tell everyone all about that new company - this was his way of showing me – “wow, my daughter gets to work there!” No awards or certificates needed – my dad loved and supported me just as I was.
In addition to providing love and support, in our household, my dad had the final word in the house, period. It was through this stubbornness though, my dad taught me another valuable life lesson: to stand firm for what I believed in and to never back down. I remember the time that my dad took me to buy my first car, my red mustang. One day he and I had gone from dealership to dealership and at the end of the day; we were finally in negotiations for the car. What took the longest time was that my dad finally got down to negotiating the last $100. After some time of the dealer trying to tell my dad to just give in and let go of the small difference, I whispered to my dad – can I just give you the $100 so we can buy the car and go home? He looked at me and said, it’s a matter of principal – they either come down in price or we will have to walk away. After the dealer realized my dad’s determination and my growing sadness of not getting the car quickly, he finally agreed to my dad’s bottom line.
Over the years, my dad taught me about life and love overall. He stressed to me the importance of family, the importance of a strong work ethic, and the importance of having strong faith in God. Not only did I benefit from my dad’s wise advice - I know that all those around him did as well. Especially in the last few months, I have really seen my dad’s influence in both of my brothers Richard and Robert. My dad would be so proud of them of how they kept our family first throughout the difficult times. I will always carry every important lesson my dad taught me and I will in turn teach my own two boys everything I learned. I sincerely wish that my boys would turn out to be like their grandfather – smart, hard working and appreciative of everything that they have.
I was once asked to quickly describe my dad’s personality. I responded that he’s regarded as sort of a Korean godfather type. Many would go to him for counsel on anything and everything. He was a man of a few words, but the words he did share were always the right words, at the right time. If someone needed advice – he was at the ready to share all that he knows. If someone needed support or a friend - he was ready with his quick humor. On my wedding day eight years ago, my dad and I were waiting for our cue to walk down the aisle. I was expecting to hear some sort of last “be good” lecture from him before we started walking. My dad realized that what I needed right then was actually some humor so he turned to me and said, “hey, the car is right over there. let’s just leave this wedding and grab a steak somewhere.” Just like always – his timing was perfect and he knew what to say and do at the right time.
So in closing, I say this to my daddy. Thank you for your sacrifice and your unconditional love for me and for all of us – I already miss you terribly. I know that you are in God’s perfect paradise right now, but I know that it’s not your style to simply be at rest. I know that you are already working hard towards finding you and mom a perfect place in Heaven and that you are preparing the biggest reunion party for all of us one day. I will always love you and I know that you will always be close to us, watching us from above.
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