Page 27 - May 2018 - December 2018 Issue

I miss my Dad. He passed on a few weeks ago, and the vacuum he
left can never be filled in our lives. And yet he is truly alive – in
Heaven and in our hearts, leaving a legacy that is valuable to us.
“Dad: A.C.E. Model” is how I titled this brief, remembering him as a
man of authority with quiet courage, a caring warrior, and a
source of inspiration.
Inspired by what I observed in my Dad, and affirmed by what I
noticed in the Dads of my friends, I have marked three qualities
that, I believe, make both an ideal and real Dad. It’s summarized
as A.C.E. – Authority Figure, Caring Presence, and Empowering
Force.

He is the Authority Figure. Sons and daughters look up to what we
call “the image of authority” in the home, and that is the role of a
Dad. Of course, running a home and rearing kids is a shared role
of Dad and Mom. A lot of jokes have gone the rounds about who
real authority is. And yet, as preserved by tradition, Dads have
retained – and should deserve – that Authority Figure at home,
the Anchor.
He is a Caring Presence. Dad may be a man who demonstrates
tough-mindedness before the many circumstances in life, and yet

he is also a Dad who loves, not in the way Mom manifests her love,
but in an understated, less emotional way. Suffice it to say that
Dad is a caring presence at home, a “tender warrior’’ in the family.
He is the Empowering Force. Dads may fail in certain roles, but
they should not fail to inspire, to empower their kids. From young
to adult years, children always go back to their source of strength,
their fountain for faith, their model for quiet courage. Dads should
not fail to be a model for their kids. Words of wisdom help, and
actions speak a thousand words that kids understand better and
accept more.
We are also celebrating this month MPT South’s first year

anniversary. In a manner of speaking, we, the MPTS family, are like
sons and daughters who look at our Leaders like Dads. It’s time
our workplace look up to their Leaders as models for A.C.E.!
Happy Father’s Day to all Dads and Happy Anniversary to all of
you!

Chris C. Lizo

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