Dear Dad

 Thank you for pressing this quote into my hands when I was a teenager:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. 

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. 

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. 

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. 

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Thank you for teaching me the value of patience and to measure twice, cut once.

 

Thank you for helping me believe I could do anything I wanted as long as I set my mind to it.

Thank you for all those Saturday morning trips to the lumber yard and for letting me tag along and watch you work. Thank you for stressing the importance of saving a little money every week, 

no matter how small.

 Most of all, thank you for being my dad.