My father was a kind man. He was a cunning business man with a sharp mind and impeccable memory to the very end. He was soft spoken, but his words were insightful and left an impact, which made him a brilliant adviser and mentor. When I was a child, I remember my father choosing to lecture his children on everything. When we did something wrong, were just thinking of doing something wrong, or when he felt the urge to randomly share his wisdom when we did nothing wrong at all a lecture was coming our way. His lectures were infamous. While my friends were punished by being grounded or having their favorite things and privileges taken away, my father lectured and held regular family meetings. Ill admit, as a teenager, my ears resisted and my mind tried to stubbornly not absorb the information my father preached to me on a regular basis. However, as I got older and eventually became a parent myself, his words of wisdom became clear and true and now I find myself subjecting my two sons to the same lectures. A common theme my father used in his lectures was the importance of family. Wealth, health, success, statusall mean nothing without and are secondary to family. He always emphasized maintaining a strong family unit, to put our differences aside and to support one another. He supported us individually, understanding our different strengths and weaknesses and using that knowledge to encourage each of us to help one another. He was resourceful like that. One of my fondest memories of him was the time he played the game of Monopoly with me and my sister Wendy when we were children. He could barely read or speak English, but when we explained the premise and rules of the game, he quietly agreed to play and feigned ignorance. He ended up winning the game (even after giving me extra money because thats just the type of person he was) and left me and my sister confused, but I learned to never underestimate him again. I could not have asked for a better father. He was reserved and did not feel the need to outwardly show his love for his family, but through his actions and sacrifice, we all knew he loved us unconditionally, and for me, that meant more than superficial hugs and wordy promises. I feel a little lost without my father but I am thankful for my family, as he had always intended. Dad, I love you and will always miss you. You do not need to worry about us anymore and I hope you find your peace. Thank you Dad, you were right about everything.