Father's Day 2009

Fathers are the biggest source of strength for a child. The innocent eyes of a child perceive their father as the all-powerful, most knowledge, truly affectionate and the most important person in the family. Don't you remember being told, Wait til your father gets home?

For daughters, fathers are the first men they adore and fall in love with. While for sons their fathers are the strongest person they know and someone they aspire to emulate. Of course this is pre-teen years......


Even for the grownups, fathers are someone whom they look up to for the most experienced and honest advice. And you know that the advice is always with our best interest in mind. For this great figure in our life that we know as father - it becomes our utmost duty to pay our humblest tribute on the occasion of Father's Day.

This is the first father's day that both of our boys are father's themselves. It really makes me so proud to see both of them taking on the role of "daddy". It is plain to see that they would do anything for their children.





But, I would not expect any less of them. After all, they learned from the best! No, I am not talking about me, although, I helped! I am talking about their own father, my husband. I so appreciate the kind of man he was and is, as a father and as a husband. I love you, Gary!

In the early years, when our children were growing up, he did a lot of out of town work in South Florida. Most men would take advantage of being away from the family and go to the bars to drink. Not him, he has always been a family man and put his family first. Each night he would call from the motel room and talk to us on the phone. A few times, when school was out, Michael got to go with him. Gary carried around a little cassette recorder with him from job to job and I remember one time when Mitch was around 2 years old, Gary was playing with him over the weekend and asked him what he had done while he was away. Mitch told his daddy that he had gone to the doctor and had gotten a shot in his ear and in his mouth. Gary taped this and we have the tape still today and laugh as we hear his little voice. Mitch has always been so passionate and continues to show that passion to both of his girls and his wife, Amy.

Michael has always had a zest for life and he gets anything that he sets his mind to. I still see him using that zest for life as he works side by side with his wife, Joanne. He has never been real sentimental as that was not the "manly" thing to do. However, he surprised Gary this Father's Day with a typed letter, instead of a card. I will not type the whole letter but, I really feel that this sums Gary up in a nutshell!

He said that as he was a father himself now, he had been thinking about all the life lessons that he was taught over the years by Gary. These are a list of values that you taught me, in addition to some that I plan to teach my children, along with your values.


Yours: (Gary's values)

1. You can accomplish anything you put your mind too.
2. Nothing comes easy.
3. Your family always comes first.
4. Lead by example.
5. There is a time and place for everything.
6. You must earn trust.
7. Work smart, not hard.
8. Hard work pays off.
9. Don't be in a hurry to grow up.
10. If you get arrested, don't waste your only phone call on me.

Mine: (Michael's values)

1. You can always come to me with any problems that you have.

2. Your job is to make mistakes and mine is to help you figure out how to fix it an learn from it.

3. Always show respect to your mother and myself.

4. Live life to the fullest.

5. You get out of life what you put into it.

6. Find your passion in life.

7. Set your goals high and always move towards them.

8. My job is to work hard and provide you with everything you need to get a good education; your job is to put that education to work for your future.

9. Enjoy your childhood but stay young at heart as your age.

10. Always think before you speak, trust me, this is the hardest item on the list!

I am so proud of all the "Robertson Men", for who they use to be and the men that they are today. Happy Father's Day!