I am my Dad's Hero

I am my Dad’s Hero

Sydney,
it was such a joy and pleasure taking you to the United Way meeting today. As a father, well as a Marine father, (smile) I feel that your mom and I have raised a very successful, intelligent, and caring young lady. Seeing you engage in such activities as today and even last year attending school in Florida makes me so proud of you. Back in 1985 ( wow) when I was in summer training for the Marines, while a student at Hampton, we had to perform impromptu speeches in front of our teams ( about 50 Marines plus the instructors.) You never knew who would be called upon to perform the speech or what the required topic would be. One night, after they ran us for miles and miles and miles, they called my name out. " Candidate Lawings, Get Up Here and Give Us a Speech on Who Your Hero In Life Is" I walked up to the podium and said " My Speech Tonight Is About A Real Hero In My Life" I could only imagine that they thought I was going to discuss Martin Luther King or some sports figure. As a Marine Corps Officer, there are less Blacks in a Training school then Lovett. So out of about a thousand Candidates to become Marine Officers, there was only 5 in our class. We can talk about that later. So the Hero I introduced was Willie Mae Lawings. My mother, your Grandmother. They all looked at me and awaited more information plus details about this Hero I selected. I simply described the my Mom and the STRENGTH she had to fulfill her task in getting her sons into college and educated. I later received a 3.5 year Marine, Reserve Officer Training Corps ( ROTC) scholarship from Hampton and that was a dream come true for my Mom. You will hear about ROTC when you attend college.

Your Grandmother raised to boys and was a Principal of a middle school back in the day when females were not in that career. Small in frame like you and as strong as you, she raised her two Son's. My nickname for Grandma Willie was " Boss". I would call her from Hampton or later in the Marines, saying what you doing Boss? She liked that. I used to squeeze the top of her head with one hand, more like a firm grip just like I do you and Randi all the time and she would pretend to scream saying owwwwwww, owww, owww. We would giggle.

Sydney, you are my Hero. You are my Hero because I see you work hard and adapt to life and happenings. I see you increase your performance in Gymnastics every year. I see you get on the bars and perform your task with confidence despite others who have been performing gymnastics for 7 plus years. I see you improve and improve and simply mount the bars with that Marine determination. I see you drive the truck and develop an understanding of directions from place to place and comprehend true responsibility. I see you helping your Mom and others and me with daily tasks. I see you learning how to care and communicate better with others. I see you striving to go to college and be the best you can be. I see you motivated about the next chapter in life. I see a Pretty Young Lady navigate herself through 13 plus years of one of the most prestigious private schools in the country and now becoming a Senior. I see you today, all Pretty and mature riding with her Dad, eating some chik-fila and sippin on a Arnold Palmer ( yeah ra) ready to conversate in a business meeting/interview ( it’s always an interview when you conduct business and people have can judge you) to an internship meeting.

So today if I were called upon to deliver a speech about my true Hero, it would be you. Sydney Iman Lawings. I love you babe. Learn all that you can from this point on obtain your desires in life. Reaching the desires in life is not easy so please don't be fooled or naive. It takes work, sweat, tears, prayer and determination. Life is hard baby. You get what you put into it, just like school. If you want an "A" we all know what we need to do to get it, some more than others but we still know the extra that is required. Life is the same way baby. Take care of yourself and don't be a follower, choose your direction that fits Sydney Iman Lawings. Seek your goals and figure out the path and always pray to the lord while doing it. Pray when times are good and pray when times are bad. Pray for others, family and friends and yourself. This is so important. A prayer is as simple as talking to your best friend. I pray every night and morning when driving in after the Big Daddy Kiss comes through your phone now days ( lol). Turn to the Lord always as this is the key in life and I wish I had understood it earlier. As you attend college and even now, read the bible when you get a chance. I miss our School morning bible sessions when at the town house . The best place to start is with book John , Luke or Mathew if you don't have an idea of the bible, but you do I know.

Goodnight My Hero. Love you so much Sydney. I am so proud of you.