Lessons My Father Taught Me by Michael Reagan (writer: Jim Denney)

Description of the Book

Ronald Reagan was the greatest man I’ve ever known — and one of the greatest men the world has ever known. As a boy, I looked up to him, watched him closely, and wanted to be like him. I watched him in unguarded moments and saw the strength and integrity of the man. On trips to the ranch. I saw him working with his hands, cutting wood or fixing fences. He took me out riding horses and shooting, and he taught me to swim. Because he was divorced from my mother, actress Jane Wyman, I didn’t see my father as much as I wanted, but I have memories of conversations with him, moments when Dad looks me in the eye and talked about life. I still measure myself against the example he set.

In this book, Lessons My Father Taught Me, I look back over my years with him and reflect on the lessons I learned from him. Some of the memories I share in this book include:

• the lesson in parental love Dad taught me by always treating me as his own flesh and blood — he never once referred to me as his “adopted” son;

• the lesson in integrity Dad exemplified when he threw a bag of cash at the man who tried to bribe him;

• the lesson in self-reliance I learned from Dad when he turned down the scholarship Coach Frank Kush offered me to play football for Arizona State;

• the wise and touching letter Dad wrote to me just before my wedding day;

• the only time I ever saw Dad defeated, how he handled it, and what he taught me;

• the amazing incident of the angels Dad saw around him at the hospital after he had been shot;

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• the lessons in faith I learned while flying with Dad aboard Air Force One at Easter time, and while sharing a Thanksgiving dinner with him;

• the unexpected gift I received from Dad when I was forty — the War Bond he bought for me a few days after I was born and Dad’s letter that came with it;

• the day I surprised my father with a hug — and how our whole relationship changed;

• the lessons in love and courage I learned as I watched him fade into the twilight of Alzheimer’s disease;

• the story of how he no longer remembered my name, but never forgot that I was the guy who hugged him; and

• the day in June 2004 when I kissed my father’s casket and said my last goodbye.

Chapter Outline

The stories and lessons of this book would fall under a number of headings. Here is a list of potential chapters, by subject, that the book would contain (the actual chapter titles could be simple one-word designations as shown here, or the chapter titles might be based on the content of the stories):

Adoption Generations Money Communication Generosity Optimism Compassion Gratitude Perseverance Courage Humility Prayer Death Influence Respect Defeat Integrity Self-Reliance Faith Leadership Strength Fatherhood Love Victory Forgiveness Marriage Work