Fathers Day

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers who continue to give their best to their families - in whatever way you define family.

I cannot tell you how much my father has impacted who I am and how I see the world.

As a young man, he learned how to fix cars, and our home. It was cheaper to learn and do it yourself.

He learned by studying. No Google back then. He read paper books. And then he figured it out.

I was always observing him, watching him reading then I’d see him do it at a high standard.

It had to be perfect.

I was always in awe of his ability.

It’s where I get my love of tackling hard problems. The joy I feel in figuring it out comes from him, as does doing things with excellence.

And that wasn’t even his job. He had many jobs finally graduating from college in his 20s while working full time, then eventually when I was an adult, got his masters.

This is a man who came here from the Dominican Republic when he was a teenager, who had to learn English, who had survive with two young daughters by 23 years old.

Two parents (obviously my mom is a boss too) surviving and doing the best they could with what they had.

When I think about legacy, I think of my parents and I think of my dad’s fight, his determination to give us the best of what this country could offer.

The true American Dream for me is not money, a home, college or a stable job.

It’s so much deeper than that.

It’s the dream of going from survival mode to the privilege of not worrying about your next paycheck so you can do things for your family.

It’s the dream of having the privilege to feel freedom in what you do and how you do it.

It’s the dream of having the privilege to do work that is aligned with your values, who you are, and what gives you meaning.

It’s the dream of having the privilege to go to law school and have your parents drive and bring you arroz y guandules on the weekend to make sure you eat something in between all that studying.

I have struggles and challenges but mine are very different from my father’s. They are supposed to be different - that’s also the gift he and my mother gave me.

The load is lighter.

The burden is lighter.

And to this day, he makes my load lighter. He’s the best dad and abuelo (grandfather) to his four nietos (grandchildren).

I cannot imagine life without him.

And even though my father says that everyday should be Mother’s Day and Father’s Day which I meet with a classic 🙄, I’m saying it anyway: Happy Father’s Day to him and all the dads today. ❤️