What I Have Is Uniquely Special…My Dad!
Someone told me during a lunch meeting that if only one person was there to “Root for Your Rise” it’ll make a world of difference in your success.
I was fortunate to have been raised in a household family of five with two loving parents and two great, older siblings (affectionately the ‘Irish twins’). All four of my family members were not only present, but very active in my upbringing. 
My Mom…a fiercely loyal, viciously hardworking, & devoted woman to God, served as the moral compass of the family. Our core values, principles, & spiritual beliefs were taught by her conversations & through demonstration. Individually, she also taught me so much about grace, class, and how to embrace my femininity…even though she allowed & never condemned me for being a bit tomboyish as well, lol! (Thank You Ma!!) I love every single thing about being a woman. Through her, I learned as a little girl coming into adulthood how to carry myself with esteem, and to be treated respectfully and command chivalry because of how I saw both my Mom & sister carry themselves. As a unit, we each gained value from one another tremendously.
Particularly with our Dad, my siblings & I were blessed to have been given a father who went that extra mile in every step of our lives. It could be as simple as one of us saying ‘I like apple juice‘ and he’d fill the house with apple juice, apple drink, apple cider, apples on the kitchen table…anything remotely related to apples, simply because we took favor to it. The purity of kindness that he, Larry Gordon, held was also shown towards countless of others.
Growing up I was taught to ‘think big’ & was encouraged by my teachers that I could be and do anything I wanted. As a teenager, I was taught in high school that with God’s help, no idea or dream was out of reach. Yet as an adult, despite all the encouraging and mental training I’d received, life seemed to be unfolding differently. Why hadn’t anyone fully prepared me for the “cold & ugly side” of the world too?
Thankfully, my Dad was and has always been a constant, warm blanket…
The reality of not just setting goals, but consciously deciding not to settle; sacrificing daily for what you believe in; and actually building on that very hope & dream from the bottom-up…with no set blueprint…no definite plan from A to B…and no single-handed, sure-way win…has been an adventurous, eventful, yet sometimes scary, mentally & physically exhausting, risky, & laborious task. Along the way, I’ve witnessed firsthand that not everyone would ‘get‘ what you’re working on…or even care to understand for that matter! Someone once told me sarcastically, “Taryn, you can shoot for the stars if you want…” I relayed the message to my Dad and his response was, “That’s exactly what you’re aiming for!“
Life has thrown both curve and fast balls. During times when we had little to nothing, my Dad told me to hold on & stay focused on the vision ahead. Oftentimes overlooked or simply written off, my only option to NOT quiet the voice inside that pleaded, ‘I want more to give more‘ was to do every single thing in my power to keep going. By doing so, I’d unknowingly & unintentionally offended others by this caged, hidden desire. No matter the insults, the disbelief, curses, and discouragement, my Dad was there to instill in me the faith & courage that no matter what, I had the power to rise above it all, AND THEN go on to conquer monumental task. 
Despite having had a revolving door of people in & out of my life, like other encouraging parents, my Dad has been there to say, ‘It’s their lost!” During those moments where words & actions were so vile, ugly, & hurtful, he’s there reaffirming me in love; reminding me to look in the mirror & to know my own value when no one else does. When my mind was engulfed in despair & my spirit was swathed in despondency from the residuals of unnecessary abandonment & unfair rejection, my Dad healed my broken heart, so many times, by reiterating that no matter who turns their back on me, he’ll still be in my life standing tall. During the darkest moments, somehow his genuine care for me restored my hopelessness back to hopefulness.
Giving honor where honor is due…
In 2004 I told my Dad I wanted to assemble a Board of Directors & officially incorporate the non-profit, Divine Global Empowerment; his response was, “What time should I be ready to go to the Secretary of State with you to get the paperwork?” 
Since that initial conversation, he’s attended every single meeting…even if it means traveling; he’s helped with every grass-root effort; endured zero below temperatures to meet with me to go over paperwork so that we could make deadlines; clean-up properties; or even sit in a coffee shop to discuss plans & strategies.
When I sit & write proposal after proposal, he’ll be right there to listen & help edit every word. He even listens to my music (even when it was not so great, lol). No matter if it was teaching me to drive a car or teaching me to take a risk, he’s been right there. While politely giving me space to flourish & step into my full potential, he’s never felt or said I was ‘doing too much’. When he’s had no money to give…he’s given his heart, advice, and time.
I never thought the price of simply wanting to step out of the confines of a restricted life to have more, to become more, and do more would come at such a high cost. Outside of the harsh judgements & unwarranted critics, he’s been in my ear to say “keep reaching…because as long as you believe…you can have everything you’re reaching for!”
I wanted to take this time to put a spotlight on someone who often stays quietly in the background, but has held so much strength & power during it all. Whatever it takes, my Dad has been the one constant to ‘root for my rise’. Together, we still have a ways to go, yet for every milestone & success so far…it’s because of my Dad’s help, guidance, encouragement, consistent & unwavering support that I can write and speak about anything that I’m doing.
