mentor

in my sophomore year of pharmacy school, i had to take the dreaded organic chemistry.  my father was my personal tutor, as this was his field of study.  there were many times we'd be up all night working through the problems, him patiently waiting for me to figure out the solutions.  usually as the night gradually became morning, i would become more and more frustrated, often in tears because my brain couldn't wrap around the diagrams or formulas, and he would tell me to try again, try again.  he would show me how he arrived at the answers and walk me through them step by step, consistently telling me i could do it, and that he wouldn't stop helping me.  he told me the first time he'd gone through organic, he had failed, but he picked himself up again and decided to major in it.  this is exemplary of who he is.

on particularly rough nights when i was in a daze from lack of sleep and bouts of self-loathing, my dad would tell me to go upstairs to bed while he finished up.  in the mornings, i would find page-long explanations on how he had solved the problems, with pictures, notes outlining each step, the works.  i knew that he had sacrificed a good night's sleep to do this, even when he had church or work or whatever responsibility he had on his own plate the next day.  he never gave up on me, even when i gave up on myself.

in the end, i did pass organic, but i owe more of that to my teacher at home than my professor in school.  this is only one of many examples of what my father has given me.

if it's one thing i've learned, it's that he taught me to believe in me.  so happy father's day to the constant mentor in my life, from your grateful student.