My dad has always had a way with words. He has said beautiful things, like at dinner as the family munches on bread and watches the setting sun streak the sky with vibrant pinks, oranges and yellows, he said "It's always kind of sad to see a day come to an end." Hearing those words from a man who leaves for work at 5:00 a.m. and doesn't come home until 8:00 p.m. is rather inspiring. It means a lot to know that someone who spends the majority of his time in an office, working to provide for his family, appreciates every single day.

There is a piece of advice that my dad gave me before I went to college that has always stuck with me. To this day, I wish I had written it down because I know that paraphrasing it now cannot do it justice, but what he said was "Keep your chin up." It wasn't said in encouragement like "keep your head up, champ." and a knock on the shoulder. It was less sentimental and more factual. He was telling me to always walk with pride: shoulders back, chin up. To always stand strong in my convictions and my sense of self, the "self" that he molded with careful parenting and loud encouragement over the last 20 years.

With those four words, my dad taught me not only to be proud of myself, but to continue molding myself into someone to be proud of. It's a lesson that not everyone is taught and it is absolutely invaluable. It rings in my head everyday.