My Fathers Yortzeit

In honor of my fathers yortzeit, Rabbi Yossi Goldstein
By, Toby lieder (Goldstein)
I immediately thought of my father!
There is so much to say
It would take a whole day
To begin to describe my dad
I'm feeling so sad
Sad that's he's not here
To chat and chuckle and share
He always found the humor in everything
He used to laugh and sing
Especially dance his own dance
One foot in front and a high bounce
My father made us aware of healthy eating
Always reminding us to have an apple before noshing
Positive reinforcement was his second nature
Always a good word to even a stranger
Who remembers?
Friday night after candle-lighting in our home
Machon chana girls and women would come
My father's Tanya lessons would be their weekly inspiration
Together with the smell of my mothers Just baked challahs what a sensation
My father taught me to always say a good to word to anyone
He was friendly to everyone
MY FATHER taught me words like ducks back
(do you know what that means?)
Just like a ducks back is slippery when someone annoys you let it slide right off like a ducks back !
MY FATHER Taught me
Never loose your temper always stay calm and stay cool
That went a long way with me raising 14 kids! I stood by that rule!
MY FATHER taught me
To talk to 'all types ' of people in the same respectable way
In invited them in to our home any given day
MY FATHER taught me
To say amen as many times as we can (he'd say a Brocha loud on purpose for us to say
He explained that angels are created with our amens each day
MY FATHER taught me
Gam Zu ltova this too is for good
He never criticised or said a bad word
Whenever in his presence you felt really good
MY FATHER taught me
About nature,planets,the oceans and the ski
Inspired us with Hashems creations through my fathers eyes
MY FATHER taught us
To have fun and enjoy life to its fullest glory
He loved classicAl music, played the piano and told awesome stories
MY FATHER taught us
To appreciate nostalgia,
old movies from the Rebbe entertained us all
Each moitzay shabbos he'd take out his old movie projector and we'd have a ball!
MY FATHER taught us
To laugh and play and be happy and be a kid
He always had a joke for us ready on his lip
MY FATHER tAught us
The appreciation of the Rebbe
He ingrained in us the love and respect for the Rebbe from early on
Him being a true role model of a real chosid and Yiras shomayim
MY FATHER taught us
Through his stories of tzadikim and lessons for life
We'd live by those lessons today they all all still alive!
MY FATHER taught me
To laugh and find the humor in everything we hear and see
He just knew how to turn sad into happy ,dark into light, incredible was he!
MY FATHER taught me
To be confident
He always said "chin up" shoulders back walk like a king smile to the world the world would smile back!
My father always complimented me on 'anything' he can
He made me feel I can draw I can lead I can be I can have I can do anything I want to
He made me believe I was awesome! Imagine your kids saying that about you! Do you make your kids believe that they are awesome!??
People felt good in his presence
They were drawn to him
He made you feel good
He brought out the good in you
Not just me
But every person he met
Every of the 1300 students he was principal in Bais Yaakov Boro park will tell you they each felt special
From my father I learn to
Treat every person equally
Love life
Laugh a whole lot
Share jokes
Look for the good in people
And a whole lot more
Do you know my dad!???????
Do you have something nice to add?
Please share
Toby Lieder