by Jim Rogers
Published April 2009 (Hardcover) Random House
More info: Jim Rogers
We get to read Jim Rogers’ book to his daughters before they do. That’s because Rogers’ daughters are about one and six years old. And you can tell from the title, they’re a bit young for it: A Gift to My Children: A Father’s Lessons for Life and Investing.
I feel fortunate. Jim’s kind and unvarnished philosophy is calming and focused. His girls are lucky. When I was six, my real father and the man who my mother wanted to be my stepfather came to blows in front of me. My real dad lost, and his blood speckled the black and white tiled foyer in my new home. That was the last time I saw him, although I later learned he had fought for my custody — and lost. And the man who became my stepfather, then adoptive father, later “took me” upstairs — literally and sexually — to remind me, quite physically, that I belonged to him. I learned a terrifying life lesson that day, and a good lesson — to search for the real truth. That drive made me a journalist, always seeking the truth — which is one of Jim’s lessons to his daughters — to learn the history of other lands, to second-guess mob beliefs, to back common sense with much study.
Jim Rogers tells his girls that China will be the power of the 21st century, and the languages to know are English, Spanish and Mandarin.
He was a hard-worker from the time he was a little kid, and he pursued his passion — investing. These traits he encourages in his daughters.
It is Father’s Day Sunday, and I am grateful — for Jim’s unfettered wisdom for his daughters as well as children everywhere, and for my two fathers. My real father — the one who showed me unconditional love in the very short time we had together, four years at most. And, my stepfather — who gave me one bit of wisdom “remember, there’s always one thing you can do better than anyone else,” and he gave me a terrifying childhood, which forced me to be resilient, to see and believe in angels, to work incredibly hard in school hoping to escape that life, to read voraciously and later interview authors seeking their wisdom, to connect with people compassionately on a deep, intuitive level, to find my passion early as a seeker of Truth. Who I have become is my silver lining. And if you have experienced such terror, you now know it’s possible for good things to come of it.
Happy Father’s Day to you dads! And much love to your children, however old they may be.
