DUers, what did your dad do or say during your childhood that has influenced how you live

[Arkansas Granny]

21. My father was an exceptional man.

He lost his sight due to spinal meningitis before his 5th birthday. On a bright day, he could tell that it was daylight, but that's all the sight he had. However, he never considered himself to be handicapped and there was very little that he couldn't do or wouldn't try.

He could do carpentry (added two rooms to our house including wiring, plumbing and roofing), was a good shade tree mechanic and worked all during my childhood as a steel bandsaw operator for a small manufacturer in town. We lived on a small "farmette" where we had cows, chickens etc. because he loved working with animals.

He was curious about everything and never stopped learning. Because of the physical labor her did, his fingers were so calloused that reading braille was difficult for him, so my brother, sister and I read magazine articles and to him from the time we learned to read.

What we learned from Daddy was that knowledge is a valuable commodity, you can accomplish amazing things if you are willing to work for them and that all kinds of adversities can be overcome.