Scott M

My hero is my father Scott Mate. He is a great person, he works hard to get to where he needs and wants to be. He is a giver, he always puts others before himself. He has taught me so many things in life, he has good morals, a good work ethic, and is very smart. My Dad told me a story one day that I thought was pretty cool. When my dad was 9 years old, he lived on a farm in Aitkin. He had a neighbor who was always working on cars and fixing things in his garage. One day my dad was riding his pedal bike, and a pedal broke off, so he brought his bike and broken pedal to his neighbors garage. he asked his neighbor if he would weld it back on for him, and his neighbor said “sure, not a problem.” After the pedal was welded back on, my dad brought his piggy bank over to his neighbor and said “here take this, thank you for welding it back on for me.” Neighbor just said “No, it is not a problem, just come by my shop and I will teach you how to weld.” That was always my favorite story because my Dad said that it was nice that people can just help each other out without expecting anything in return. My dad grew up with an alcoholic, and abusive father. His family was very poor and he never had anything given to him in life, he had to work extremely hard for it all. My dad has affected me so much in life. Telling me that you need to work hard to succeed, helping others and being selfless will pay off in the long run. He worked through all the rough spots he faced in life, and that shows me that I can do the same. I was also raised Catholic, he brought me to church every Sunday as a kid, no matter how much I didn’t like going to confirmation, he stuck with me all the way through it. My dad has taught me that God and family are above all else. He always tells me don’t judge people, give everyone a fair chance, and let them show you who they are. Never be afraid to try something new, no matter how hard life gets, just push through it. My dad means so much to me and I don’t know where I’d be without him.

Submitted by Anonymous

Hard Work