My Dad's Wisdom

My father will be celebrating his 76th birthday in 3 days. It's been my desire to write a book about his life story but I am waiting for my writing skills to improve. So for now, I have to be content with what I can do- blog.

Growing up, I've listened to my father so much that I memorized his one-liners. Here is famous three of them...

One word is enough for a wise man.
He would say this to me and my siblings when we won't obey what we were told to do immediately. He didn't want to repeat himself. For instance, when I wouldn't get up at 4am for our family devotion unless my mother pinched my side. She did that to me every single morning. So now you know that I was far from being a wise little girl. But those were the days... I think I've improved a lot now. :) I make sure Paul doesn't give me instructions over and over again.

Play while you play, eat while you eat... that's the way to be happy and gay!
He would say this, especially, to me on our breakfast. See, I was the sleepiest girl in the family. I hated waking up in the morning before I felt like I'd slept enough. How many hours was enough? Well, it depended fully on my mood. So, I would come to the dining table and tried hard to eat and took cat naps in between putting food to my mouth. I heard my dad say this line to me a million times. This line has helped me remember that I need to focus on what I am supposed to do and try not to be distracted. Studies show that multi-tasking is not helping people become better workers. Instead, it is creating jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none individuals.

Plenty of words, plenty of sins... no word no sin.
He said this line when I and my siblings had fights. He would also use this line to stop us when we were on the verge of gossiping about other people. Remembering this line has helped me stop myself talking, especially when I have an anger attack. It also brings to memory the passage in the Bible that says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." Proverbs 18:21