Today my Dad passed away.
Everything I am, good or bad, I owe to the man who’s life ended today, he was my biggest hero and my fiercest foe.
My Dad was not an easy man to deal with on his younger days, he was extremely stern and constantly working (and making sure I worked just as hard), this is a man who made me work on his restaurant washing dishes at the age of 6, so I could earn my movie ticket for Sunday .. nothing was a free pass when it came to him, if you want something in life .. you have to earn it!
The lessons I learn from him have been the biggest gift anybody has ever given me, he taught me to be ruthless in business, while being kind to even your most hated competitor, a contradiction it took me 30 years to understand, he was indeed the iron fist with the heart of gold, a pot of contradictions, who where summarized by one of the most loved people I ever known ..
I always found amazing, how someone who irritated me so much at times, was never the subject of a bad comment, everybody loved Joao .. he was a man’s man, and woman’s subject of affection.
I was always the subject of his focus, he pushed me harder than anybody else, of course it was not until adulthood I understood why he did it, and how much I meant to him, but the good thing is, I am a lucky person, I got to admire my father and even become good friends with him later in life, he in return got to see his son grow to everything he ever wanted (even so I think even if I ended up a deadbeat con, he would have still been proud of me).
There are no missing words between me and my dad, I just wish that there had been more time for him to enjoy life, 59 is too young for one to go, he will be missed by many, especially me.
Rest in peace Dad .. hopefully you are in a better place now.
