Over the years his real job has come with many different titles. For 50 years he has been a son and brother, for 31 he has been a loving father, for 26 he has been a dedicated husband, for 5 he has been a grandfather, and for 18 years and counting he has been and will always be my mentor. Today I would like to honor my father John Zachary Smith, and explain to you how and why he has become my mentor. Standing at exactly 6 feet tall, sporting dark black hair and tan skin, being loud, extremely talkative and radiating with energy, are just a few characteristics that can be attributed to his Italian heritage. When introducing himself to someone new, he reaches out his rough and calloused hand giving them a firm handshake and replies “My name’s John Smith, really honest”. My father has the ability to make friends with anyone because he is truly a real joy to be around. He sparks conversations with people and it would seem that were best friends.
My father never lets an opportunity pass to teach his children. Being a father alone is difficult, but finding the time to impact each and every life of those seven children is a completely different rigorous task. Dad has taken this as a challenge and a life-long goal. My dad has taught me lots of things there is to know about many different subjects. Because of him I have learned to change tires on a car, because of him I have learned how to respect my siblings, because of him I have learned to cherish the moments in everyday life, because of him I have learned to have more confidence in myself.
Moving away from home and being in college, I look back on my years at home with a little bit of sadness and tad bit of regret. I realize that I took my father for granted. When I would complain about how much homework a teacher had given me, I never once heard him complain about staying late after work. When I would complain about not having the latest outfit, I never once heard him complain about