An Amazing Man

         Michael Rainsdon is a loving firm hand; he always put his kids first. If we ever did something wrong we knew what was coming. He was born on the 8 of May 1955, in Blackfoot Idaho. He went to ricks college (now BYU-Idaho) and graduated in 1977 with a Associate's Degree in design and graphics technology he went on to graduate from BYU and then Rochester Institute of Technology. He is my father and as a teen I did not understand a lot of what he did but as I grow up I am starting to understand.

One of the things that confused me as a teen were the phrases: “I don’t want to do this but your making me.” I always wondered, then why did he do it? As I have grown up and taken care my own kids, I understand. It’s not that he had a choice, he told me what the consequences of my actions would be if I continued. Being an honest man and a loving father, he had to do it for my best interest. I missed out on a few things I really wanted because I felt the need to test my father’s teachings.

As I get older, I realize that I should have listened to him. A friend once said to me, when talking about his daughter and an incident with a stove, “sometimes you just have to let them learn. I turned down the burner so that it was barely on and waited; sure enough she reached out and touched it. And I was there to help comfort her.” he had told her over and over about how it was hot and how painful it would be if she touched it. It helped me see that there are some lessons that people need to learn on their own. That, I realized must be how my dad feels some times as he repeatedly tries to teach me. Most of the time, I have to learn things for myself but my dad was always there to put me back on my feet and to help me figure out where I had gone wrong.

         Mike is a family man who will not let anything stand in the way of him making the best for his family. He flies to Portland, OR every Monday morning and back every Thursday and Friday. He sacrifices his time and energy for his family. When he is home he makes sure to have individual time with each of his children and his wife. I remember he took me out camping and fishing all the time. He taught me things that I don’t think about until I need it, like how to use the can opener on a Leatherman tool or how to fix PVC pipe. Most of what I know I have learned from my father; he is a real inspiration to me.

         Michael Rainsdon is my father and my friend; I can go to him when I am concerned about something or what I should do in a given situation. He may not always know the answer but he knows where to find it or who to talk to about it. When I was trying to figure out what to do with my trailer, he recommend that I talk to my Grandpa because he is the manager of a trailer court. When it came to the broken water pump on my girlfriend’s car, he just about talked me through replacing. He could not be there to help me fix it but still found a way to take time out of his busy day to talk to me over the phone about what needed to be done. He is an amazing man and I am grateful to have him as my father.