Your Papa: The Hardest Working Man I Ever Knew
The lessons your Papa taught me about work, responsibility, and showing up for the people you love.
Dear Girl Tribe,
There are people in life who leave behind money.
There are people who leave behind property.
There are people who leave behind family heirlooms.
Your Papa left behind something different.
He left behind an example.
I don’t know if you would have fully understood him when you were little.
He wasn’t a man who talked about his feelings much.
He wasn’t the kind of grandfather who sat around telling long stories.
He wasn’t the kind of man who needed attention.
He simply got up every day and went to work.
For most of my life, that’s what I remember most about him.
Work.
Not because he loved every minute of it.
Not because he had some dream job.
Because that’s what he believed a man was supposed to do.
He believed that if you had responsibilities, you showed up.
If your family needed food on the table, you worked.
If bills needed to be paid, you worked.
If something broke, you fixed it.
If someone needed help, you helped.
No excuses.
No drama.
You just handled your business.
This week’s Letter to the Girl Tribe is about my dad, the lessons he taught without ever sitting me down to teach them, and why I still think about him.
If you’ve ever loved someone who worked hard, showed up, and said more through actions than words, I think you’ll understand this one.
