To the Father Who Let Me Do What Made Me Happy

It was a warm summer in Sao Paulo, Brazil. My father at the time was only 12 years old, but he already was on his way to his first job in a jewelry and watch repair shop and knew exactly what his goal was by the time he was 18.

"When I turn 18, I want to move to the United States, so that I can provide a better life for my family and future."

My father said to me telling about his journey.

It was stories like this that really shifted my views and perspectives that fostered the gratuity I have towards my everyday life. To think that at the age of 12, he already knew what he wanted to do and what he had to do to get there. Some would say he had to grow up really fast. I think he was a go-getter with an attitude of a warrior.

I'm pretty sure when I was at the age of 12 I was still playing Pokemon and wondering what Mom was going to cook for dinner that day, to say the least.

My parents were different than most.

Growing up I had very different parents from most of the kids I was around. They spoke Portuguese, were heavily family orientated and believed in the power of free will. The power to ultimately choose what you want to do in your life. This is what has led me to where I am today. Maybe this fostered a sense of self-motivation or the idea that you can do whatever you want in this world...as long as you put your heart, mind, and soul into it.

Thinking back on my teenage years, before I become an established digital marketer and writer, I do not believe this would have been the path I walked if it weren't for his guidance and support after endless discussions of what I wanted to do with my life.

Now, I am 25 and couldn't be happier with the parents that have been chosen for me. I realized it was all about guiding and not controlling. There were times where I was absolutely angry at my father for things. There were times where I wasn't there enough for him or my family because I was being a rebel teenager. The endless late nights he worked to give us fresh food on the table, a place to live and presents just to make sure we were happy.

Sometimes, life has its way with you.

As a family, we battled my younger sister's leukemia. Guess who was there to comfort, support, and pay for all these medical bills. My father. Countless nights sleeping next to my sister at UCLA's children's hospital and heading straight to his job at LAX with no shower or good night’s sleep. June 26th, 2010, she fended off the monstrous disease of cancer and entered remission, finally able to enter society again as a "normal" girl.

The time I suffered a back and neck injury due to getting rear-ended by a semi-truck just shortly after a light turned green. This life-changing accident led me to hire a personal injury legal expert because there was no way my family could pay for all the bills following the crash. I needed to do extensive physical therapy, as I was already recovering from a previous surgery. At all points of self-doubt or the feeling of giving up, he made sure to keep me grounded and reminded me that there was nothing to worry about as long as I followed my doctor’s regimen. At the end of the day, I was fortunate to be alive and under the care of my family. For some, this is all they ask for.

With Patience, Understanding, and Support

It was never "his way or the highway," as many parents seem to push onto their children. Of course, they taught me manners, the difference between right and wrong, social skills all the things necessary to succeed in life, but at the end of the day...our happiness is what he truly cared about.

He chose to stay with my mother through thick and thin, the good and the bad and they have been inseparable for over 25 years. The mindset of a family man, a working man, and a hero (whether he believes it or not) is what I aspired to learn from my father.

At the time of writing this. I don't think he even realizes this is what I think of him.

My sister and mother have grown to become beautiful and caring people. We are now at eight years cancer free as a family. My mother a successful parent, myself a man who has created his own career path without traditional college, and my father. The adventurous backpacker, aircraft mechanic, super dad of all time.