June 19th, 2010 
judowolf Sitting in my favorite chair, I grabbed the TV remote turned on the USGA men’s golf championship and thought being the king is great. I was never the king, nor was my father or grandfather; they were the most important in my life and considered themselves the family providers.
My grandfather was a mechanist who worked his entire life for the same company. During the work week, he rose at 5am, ate breakfast, went to the bus stop, and took three buses before walking the last mile to work. He repeated this process for 35 years, missed a few days, called in sick if he could not get out of bed, weather never deterred him, and he retire at 65. He sustained numerous hand injuries at work, and his pinkie fingers had more S curves than a racetrack. Complaining was not in his vocabulary, your obligation was to provide financially for your family, and there was no excuse.
My father was cut from the same cloth, was a diesel mechanic, and worked on tugboats in Boston Harbor for 25 years. His work schedule was dictated the tides, and was often gone two or three days. He was responsible for keeping the boat running, but the ocean presented added dangers. He told stories of the seas unpredictability and if the boat capsized, he would drown, as there was no way out. The only he missed work was after breaking his ankle getting off the bus and walking home ten blocks with a compound fracture.
My father and grandfather knew what their responsibilities and nothing would prevent them from accomplishing their task. My tribute to them was passing their work ethic on to my children, and hoped they pass it on to their children keeping the legacy of my grandfather and father alive.
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