Ode to my father: dare mighty things

The one year anniversary of my father death is today. Hugh Miller Foley was a farm boy turned Olympian turned father, turned woodsman, fisherman, foreman and later a financial planner. He taught me by what he did, not by what he said.

When he was trying out for the Olympic boat in the early 1960s he had this quote taped to his bathroom window:

You willed it into being. It used to annoy me when you would say, "If you want it bad enough, you'll do it." But now I know you were still repeating to yourself what you had learned. And it was the truth.

Two years before he won a gold medal in the 1964 Olympics, he had never rowed a day in his life.

I sure miss you. Thanks for everything you taught us and for the legacy you left behind. You kept it hidden when you were alive. It was wrapped in tender leaves and tucked underneath our awareness. Like a seed, when you passed under, it grew. Many who have done less have talked more. I admire your quiet accomplishments, that went before you. Lessons in leadership.

Love you, Dad.