If he were alive today, our family would be celebrating my dad’s 93rd birthday during the month of August. As I reminisce, it occurs to me that I’ve done a poor job of passing on to my own children the many lessons my dad taught me. Mostly he used folkloric pieces of wisdom or sayings—dichos, as Spanish speakers in south Texas know them. Incredibly, I came up with nearly three dozen nuggets that continue to guide my meditations. I’ll share just a few. Although he began to study the Scriptures late in life, I discovered that many of my dad’s aphorisms, which had been passed on by his parents, were actually consistent with Judaeo Christian traditions.
REVERENCE: Consistent with Proverbs 9:10, early in life my dad admonished me that reverence, or “fear” of the Lord, is the beginning of wisdom. “El principio del saber,” he would say, “es a Dios temer.” It all begins with our Creator. If we “fear” or have reverence for Him, not man, then our actions will be consistent with right living.
RESPECT: The following statement is often attributed to Benito Juarez, the 26th president of Mexico. “El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz.” Real peace among men can only be achieved through the respect for others’ rights. In your own dealings with others, remember to always respect their human rights.
WALKING RIGHTLY: According to the words in Romans 8:28, for them who love God and are called according to His purposes, ALL things will work together for good. “No hay mal que por bien no venga.” It served as a promise that for those who are doing their best to follow God’s commands, even the bad things that will touch their lives, God will use these misfortunes to ultimately bring about
good.
A MAN’S WORD: “Tu palabra es prenda de oro.” My dad taught me it was not necessary to swear upon my mother’s death, or upon heaven, or God. It was important that others know that “you keep your word”. Let it be your bond. As the Gospel of Matthew says, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Anything beyond that is from your enemy.”
TALK IS CHEAP: A corollary to the above is the saying, “Facil es decir; lo difícil es hacer.” Or, it is easier said than done. Empty promises can often be made in the spur of the moment, but to follow through requires discipline, honor, and integrity.
DISCRETION: “En boca cerrada no entra mosca.” In other words, a closed mouth catches no flies. As my dad would say, wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools because they have to say something.
PREPAREDNESS & PREVENTION: An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. My dad’s words indicated the same, “Un gramo de previsión vale más que una tonelada de curación.”
HONOR: “El verdadero hombre es el que le hace honor a su nombre.” The real man is one who brings honor to his name.
The passing down of wisdom from generation to generation has diminished in our times. Perhaps it’s not too late to pass on to my children the values of right and wrong that I learned from my parents. May our future generations be enriched with a strong moral foundation.
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