MY DAD , SOME OF WHAT HE HAS TAUGHT ME

ROBERT DALE ROME USN [RETIRED ]
FEBUARY 1930 TO JULY 4 , 2013

              This week I have been thinking about the lessons I learned from my dad as I grew up . The first of which that came to mind is when I was a freshman in high school . I went out for our schools football team with grand illusions of becoming the big man in school .
                You got to understand that it was a hopeless cause for me . I was a scrawny 5'10 at 145 lbs. I could put on any weight even if tried , man did I try , I ate every thing that was not nailed down . In our house there was no such thing as left-overs .
         Well back to  what I started telling you about ,lessons learned. I went through the practices in the hot August's of Michigan . It was hot that summer all you had to do is walk across the practice field and you were soaked . As went into the beginning of the season I came to the realization I was not that good .
              In one of the first games the coach put me in . I don't remember what play it was I do remember I was on defense . Some how I ended up in a neck and neck race with the ball carrier .It was as if I was playing tag with him . He ran  a good way down the field , thankfully he ran out bounds and did not make the touch down , I just frooze I could not make that tackle , I could not bring myself to sacrifice my body to do it . Some how I could not bring my self  to tackle this man . Needless to say ,coach pulled out of the game and I got a royal but chewing from him to . What it boiled down to is he sat me on the bench and told me not get up from it either .
                 While sitting there I had made up my mind I was going to quit . After the game Dad picked me up from the locker room to bring me home . I mentioned to him that I was thinking of quiting the team . He explained why I shouldn't , He said if I did , I would regret doing so . I would be having all these what if's running through my head the rest of my life . Also if I did I would doing so every time it got rough in my life .
                 He went every one of my games , I may not of played very much but he was there none the less . The position I held was End , Guard , and Tackle . I sat at the end of the bench , Guarded the water bucket and  tackled any one who got near it . My dad would show up with an antique car horn , and it was loud ,too . Every one at the field knew he was there . Dad and Mom just enjoyed going to the games every week .
              The lesson I learned though was just to hang in there ,till the job was done . What it was I have done with every job I have had since then . I have always stuck it out with my job's a couple of years or more . I have found that that had payed off in the long run . It always looked good on my resume's . It the small lessons that your dad gives that mean the most .