An Inspiration To Each Other
My daughter posed to me a curious question.
She asked, “Dad, where do you get your inspiration,
To get up each morning before the rising sun,
And put your garbage collector’s clothes back on?
I know you told me about your years in the state prison,
And how that restricts the opportunities that you are given;
But there is not one single time that I can remember
You missing a day since I was born on the tenth of December.
And I would really like to know just how do you do it
Without ever complaining or threatening to quit?”
So, I looked at my daughter in her beautiful blue eyes,
And I tried to explain to her my reasons and give her my whys.
“Well, you see, eighteen years ago this beautiful baby girl,
By your dearly departed mother, was brought into my world;
And for the first time in my life, I had a reason to live;
So to this jewel I was granted, a little bit I could give.
With every garbage can I lift and empty into my truck,
I thank God for my job and giving me this luck.
So I give you this answer, and swear that it’s true,
All the inspiration I need, I get straight from you."
Now I sit with other parents in a late May celebration;
As my daughter and her classmates enjoy graduation.
And I watch with pride as she starts giving her speech;
As first in her class, my daughter did reach.
She ends her speech saying, “People ask me about my persistent study habit,
Well, my inspiration is my father, who taught me never to quit.”
Even with her scholarships, there are still expenses to pay,
So the next morning at 4:00 I start another work day.
by, Joe Flach
Copyright © Joe Flach | Year Posted 2012
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