Remembering My Father on Father’s Day

My dad, Ernest Jordan Jr., died in April 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Nursing homes closed their doors to visitors, so I could not see him, and neither could anyone else. That reality still stays with me. This Father’s Day, I have been thinking about what his life taught me about family, resilience, work, and love. When people talk about the importance of fathers, I think about my dad. He was not perfect, but he stayed present, steady, and full of lessons that continue to shape me as a man, a parent, and a grandfather. His story also reminds me that the role of a father reaches far beyond one household. A father can shape generations.

Learning Through His Final Years

I visited him every Sunday and took him to his medical appointments. At the time, I thought I was simply helping him in his later years. Looking back, I see that I was still learning from him. Some lessons only make sense when life asks you to live them. Once I became a father, and later a grandfather, I understood more clearly what he had been teaching me all along. He showed me that fatherhood is built in ordinary moments, not speeches. In consistency, sacrifice, patience, and showing up again and again.

Growing Up in Louisiana: Hardship, Work, and Character

Mr. Ernest was born in 1924 in Wagemann, Louisiana. For anyone unfamiliar with that part of the country, Louisiana sits deep in the American South. He began life in a region marked by hardship, limited opportunity, and harsh inequality. That background mattered because it shaped the kind of man he would become. He grew up with very little material comfort, but he developed endurance, discipline, and a strong sense of right and wrong. Those qualities became part of the legacy he passed down to our family.

Even today, parts of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi include some of the poorest communities in the nation. In the 1920s and 1930s, families faced even harder conditions. They often survived with few resources and even fewer protections. Understanding that context helps explain the strength my father carried throughout his life. He knew what it meant to go without. He knew what it meant to work because there was no other option. He also knew how easily people could deny a person dignity, which is one reason he valued truth, fairness, and self-control so deeply.

Life on Gilligan Street

My dad spent most of his childhood on Gilligan Street in Westwego, Louisiana, a town in Jefferson Parish near New Orleans. The conditions were humble. Running water and electricity were not part of daily life. Central heat and air conditioning were not available either. He told me about a stove in the living room that warmed the house in winter. When he described those years, he was not asking for pity. He was teaching perspective. He wanted me to understand that a meaningful life does not begin with comfort. It begins with character, effort, and gratitude for what you have.

Early Jobs and Dangerous Work

As a young man, he worked many jobs. For a time, he shined shoes on the docks in New Orleans. He also worked on a boat that carried sugar. One of his duties involved guiding sugar into the ship’s hold. He told me those holds were enormous and dangerous. The sugar could come down so fast through a long tube that it could bury a person under thousands of pounds in moments. Stories like that helped me understand what hard work really meant. My father did not learn responsibility from a motivational quote. He learned it in places where one mistake could cost you dearly.

Lessons from Pain, Survival, and Truth

Racism has existed throughout American history, but in the South of the 1920s and 1930s it could shape every part of daily life. My father experienced that reality firsthand. It affected where he could go, how people treated him, and how much danger ordinary situations could hold. He did not talk about those experiences to stir bitterness. He shared them so I would know the truth about the world he had survived and the price many people paid just to live with dignity.

Some of the stories he told were chilling. Even now, I can feel the weight of them. Hearing those stories as his son gave me a direct connection to history that no textbook could provide. It was one thing to learn about racism in general. It was another thing to hear your father describe the fear, humiliation, and danger he actually lived through. Those conversations helped me appreciate his strength, but they also showed me how carefully he worked to keep anger from hardening his heart.

A Story That Stayed With Me

In one story, he and some friends were riding the city bus home when a policeman stopped it and ordered them off. The officer demanded to know why those “Niggars” were on the bus and where they were going. He forced them off, and the bus pulled away without them. Afraid of being stopped again, they cut through the woods and followed the train tracks to make their way home. That story stayed with me because it captured both the cruelty of the time and the constant calculations Black people had to make just to get home safely.

He told me other stories of oppression too, and he said he had to leave because he feared he would either hurt one of those oppressors or get hurt himself. That decision did not show weakness. Instead, it showed wisdom and survival. By choosing a different future, he chose the possibility of building a better life. Many parents make difficult choices not only for themselves, but for children and grandchildren they may never meet. My father’s decision to keep moving forward opened doors for the generations that followed him.

Truth Without Hatred

What stands out to me is that he always tried to keep balance in the stories he told. Alongside the painful memories, he talked about kind people who crossed his path, including a doctor who once took him out on a boat on Lake Pontchartrain. I never knew exactly how they met, but I understood why my father remembered him. Kindness mattered to him. He wanted my siblings and me to grow up without hatred in our hearts. That may be one of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child: the ability to face truth without surrendering compassion.

He used to tell me that 3 is an odd number and 2 is an even number, and that truth holds everywhere in the world. He said that if I stayed with the facts, I could tell the difference between what is right and what is wrong. That simple lesson has stayed with me for decades. In a noisy world, truth can keep a person grounded. My father believed that facts matter, integrity matters, and clear thinking matters. Those ideas guided him, and they continue to guide me as a father and as a man.

Father’s Day, Fatherhood, and the Power of Presence

June brings Father’s Day each year, and it reminds me how blessed I was to have a dad who guided me through life. Families often celebrate Father’s Day with gifts and gatherings, but for me it also invites reflection. It gives me a chance to think about the values fathers pass on, the sacrifices they make, and the example they set. When I think about Father’s Day, I do not just think about cards or cookouts. I think about legacy.

Why a Father’s Presence Matters

Having a father in a child’s life matters. Mothers matter deeply too, and family support can come in many forms, but a positive father figure can make a lasting difference. A father’s presence can help shape confidence, discipline, identity, and emotional security. That is one reason I speak so openly about fatherhood. I want people to see that being a good dad is not only important, it is powerful. The impact of fatherhood can reach across a lifetime and into the next generation.

Celebrating Positive Fatherhood

Times are changing, and one reason I created “I Love Being a Dad” was to let the world know that many fathers are out here doing the right thing. Too often, strong examples of fatherhood do not get enough attention. I wanted to celebrate dads who work, care, teach, protect, and stay involved. I wanted to highlight the everyday men who love their children and take that responsibility seriously. Positive fatherhood deserves to be visible, especially at a time when so many families are looking for hope and examples worth following

The Example He Set for Our Family

My first clear memory of my dad is from when we lived at 1414 Bergen Street. We lived in a few other places too, but that is where most of my earliest memories begin. When I think back on those years, I remember his presence. I remember the feeling that he was there, working, guiding, and paying attention. Children may not always understand what their parents are carrying, but they remember the atmosphere a parent creates. My dad created an atmosphere of structure, care, and dependability.

Work Ethic as a Lesson

He worked hard. At times, he held two jobs at once. He took a test for the New York City Transit Authority, built a career there, and retired after 25 years. That kind of consistency leaves an impression on a child. He showed us that success is not usually dramatic. More often, it looks like waking up early, doing your job well, and staying committed for the long haul. His work ethic became one of the clearest examples of fatherhood I ever saw.

He set the example for my sister, my brother, and me. My father made sure we understood that the only way to get ahead in life is to work hard and show compassion to the people around you. That combination matters. Hard work without compassion can make a person cold. Without discipline, compassion can leave a person unprepared. My father believed in both. He wanted us to strive, but he also wanted us to care about others. That balance shaped the way I try to live and the way I try to parent.

How Children Learn by Watching

As kids, many of us say, “I will be nothing like my parents.” The truth is that we often become more like the people who raised us than we expect. We carry forward both the strengths and the wounds we absorb in childhood. That is why example matters so much in parenting. Children watch more than they listen. They study how adults respond to pressure, how they treat people, and whether their words line up with their actions. My father taught me that long before I had the language to describe it.

I worked for the same employer for even longer than my dad did, and now I have retired too. When I look at my own life, I can see his influence in ways that are impossible to miss. His example did not stop with one generation. It continued in the habits I built, the responsibilities I accepted, and the values I tried to live out. That is how family legacy works. One person’s example becomes another person’s foundation.

Building a Family Legacy That Continues

I have also been blessed with three great kids: Wendell Jr., Deshawn, and Jonathan. It is funny how I now find myself repeating some of the same things my dad told me when I was their age. That is one of the beautiful things about parenting. Wisdom keeps traveling. The phrases, standards, and lessons that shaped us often come back through our own voices. In those moments, I hear my father again, and I realize that his presence is still active in our family.

Living the Example

In many cases, children pay closer attention to what their parents do than to what they say. That truth keeps me accountable. It reminds me that fatherhood is not just about giving advice. It is about living in a way that gives children something worth following. The best lessons are often unspoken. They are carried in daily choices, quiet sacrifices, and the way love shows up in real life.

A Legacy That Keeps Growing

I hope I am setting an example as strong as the one my dad set for me. Still, I know it does not end with me. The Jordan legacy will continue through my children and grandchildren. That is why I share this story. I wrote it as a tribute to my father, but I also offer it as a reminder of why fathers matter. A good dad can influence a child’s future, strengthen a family, and leave values behind that outlive his years. If you had that kind of father, honor him. If you are a father yourself, remember that your example may shape generations you will never fully see.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY.

Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.

I’ the guy whose glass is always half full!

I love being a DAD!

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