My Dad, My Hero: In Memory of My Father Fred Saul Betesh

Growing up is a mixture of feelings for most young people and I was no exception to the rule. During his lifetime, my father and I did not always see things eye to eye and the lessons he tried to teach were toughold school is what they called it back then.

My dad had a lot of things he wanted his first born son to learn about in life. I had other plans and a mind of my own. Looking back, of course, everything he tried to instill in me was 100% right, and I was 100% stubborn and thought he was old fashioned.

My dad was so careful, when he said he would do something, he made sure he honored his words. During the years when he had a business, he had impeccable credit and people would blindly send him merchandise due to the honor instilled in his character, his name and his word.

He was like Mr. Miyagi from the movie The Karate Kid, Mr Miyagi would train the boy by having him do various chores or  hard work, but in reality, he was training him for life and how to get along in this world.

Music was his real passion. He played the oud and we were a musical family. I learned how to speak by listening to Frank Sinatra pronounce every vowel and syllable when singing a song. Although he was very proud of my musical ability and loved listening to me play traditional Arabic style songs, my father never gave me a complimentnow they call it tough love.

After his passing, I had a lot of time to reflect on the past and what I had lost out on but soon realized how much I was loved and how much he had tried to instill the very best he could in me. My dad was right about everything and I was very lucky to have been blessed with such a role model.

Before he passed away, he gave me a piece of paper and said to keep it and cherish the words (it was in an envelope and I was looking for the cash, lol). On the paper, was the a poem, called Your Name.

For years, I didnt understand the message, and then one day 20 years later, suddenly everything was crystal clear to me and I was proud to have been able to do the work needed to hand this message to my sons. My dad was indeed my hero!

Your Name – Saul Betesh

You got it from your father,
It was what he had to give.
So its yours for you to cherish
For as long as you may live.
If you lose the watch he gave you
It can always be replaced.
But a black mark on your name, son
Can never be erased!
It was clean the day you took it
And a worthy name to bear.
When he got it from his father,
There was no dishonor there.
So make sure you guard it wisely
After all is said and done
Youll be glad your name is spotless
When you give it to your son!