Bought with a Price: Things My Dad Taught Me

By James M. Doherty

Bought with a Price takes you inside the lives and principles of the life of Patrick E. Doherty, a father of eight, grandfather of thirty-four, and great-grandfather of eleven. The priorities he lived by and the love he demonstrated in raising his children serve as a parents guide to raising children in an environment of faith and family.

His simple, straightforward views are timeless. On happiness, he said, You will never be happy in life until you learn to celebrate the success of others. On conflict resolution: Always give people the chance to do the right thing. He loved His Lord and lived an unapologetic life dedicated to His service.

His life ended with a four-year battle with esophageal cancer. This narrative recalls the way he fought the battle and the self-examination this imposed on our family. We open up some very personal letters, poems, wedding vows, and decisions from various family members that demonstrate the principles of my father in the hopes that you can benefit from our experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490838243

James M. Doherty

Jim and Susan Doherty met as collegiate athletes at St. Mary of the Plains College and have been married thirty-seven years; they have four children and seven grandchildren. Jim has been a little league coach, president of the Austin Officials Association, and recipient of the Texas Girls Coaches Association State Award of Merit; he is also an ordained deacon at First Baptist Church, Georgetown, Texas. It is these experiences—along with growing up with seven brothers and sisters—that form his unique perspective derived from his father, Patrick E. Doherty, and his mother, Luella J. Doherty, who set the life examples Jim has striven to emulate. Jim is the president of Revive Consulting LLC, a software development firm. He has a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary of the Plains College. Jim is the author of more than thirty-five patents and has taught Sunday School for more than fifteen years. Susan and Jim live in Georgetown, Texas.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 James M. Doherty.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3823-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3825-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3824-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014909365

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/11/2014

image01.jpg

My dad, Patrick E. Doherty

This book is dedicated to the greatest man I have ever known, Patrick E. Doherty, and to all those other men out there who wear the label of dad with pride and dedication to their wives, families, and friends.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Meet My Dad

My Dad’s Obituary

Bought with a Price

Dad on Priorities

Dad on Moving

Dad on Graduation Day

Dad on Investing

Dad on Disappointment

Dad on Competition

Dad on Action-Based Faith

Dad on Suits

Dad on War and Sorrow

Dad on Pain

Dad on Notre Dame

Dad on St. Patrick’s Day

Dad at Dinner

Dad on Happiness

Dad on Being a Good Neighbor

Dad on Family Fights

Dad on Cooking

Dad on Negotiating

Uncle Pat’s Breakfast Club

Dad on Failure

Dad on Emergencies

Doherty Dollars

Dad’s Surgery

Dad at Home

Dad’s Care

Changed Life

Another Type of Hero

Parenting and Friendship

Dad on Proposals

Dad on Succeeding

The Collection: Family Writing

For Fun: Family Stories

Closing Thoughts

FOREWORD

I first met Jim Doherty in 1996, shortly after he moved his family from St. Louis to Georgetown, Texas. My first thought was, This guy fills a room. The second thought was, What a beautiful family! While I was correct on both counts, it was in a far different manner than I knew at the time.

Little did I know that this giant of a man would possess an intelligence to match his six-foot-five frame. Most importantly, he proved to have an incredible measure of integrity.

Thus began my journey to learn more about this fascinating man and his family. In point of fact, the Dohertys became part of my own family. We have shared some great times with each other as our children and grandchildren have grown.

I have heard Jim tell many of the stories about his father that are shared in this book. Many were humorous, while others were of a more serious nature. But in each of these stories, there was always a lesson to be learned. These stories come to life as we learn how Jim’s father, Patrick, dedicated his life to his own large family and made many sacrifices for them.

If anyone is qualified to write about parenting and fatherhood, it is Jim Doherty. I know that Jim wrote this book in honor of his father, Patrick, and that is precisely the point.

Things My Dad Taught Me tells of the life of a man dedicated to his family. Jim Doherty has lived his own life as a testament in honor of his father. What greater gift could a man give a son? What better tribute could a son give his father? Jim has become the epitome of fatherhood. This book documents what Jim’s father taught him and his siblings. These are lessons about being honest, working hard, helping those who can’t help themselves, being thankful for what you have, focusing on what matters, and being of service to others. As you read this book, you will enjoy learning the unique lessons taught by the patriarch of the Doherty family.

Philippians 3:12 says, Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Jim Doherty learned from his father that life is hard and will sometimes be a struggle. Lessons learned about perseverance and having faith in the Lord have been passed on to the next Doherty generation.

It is my great honor to write the foreword for this book. Jim Doherty and his entire family have become very special to me. Jim and I have taught Sunday school together and have served alongside one another as deacons in our church. But it is not only what Jim says that is important. It is how he has lived that garners attention.

I know some skeptics will say that this is just another book on old-fashioned values that don’t work in the twenty-first century. My response is that you simply haven’t read Things My Dad Taught Me!

Dr. Charles Breithaupt

Executive Director

Texas University Interscholastic League

PREFACE

F or my entire life, I have been accused of being a storyteller. You can’t be raised in an Irish home with eight children and not experience life to the fullest. This was the case for this young Irish boy who was lucky enough to have a father and mother who were willing to sacrifice all for their chil dren.

Life in a large family has many challenges, but those struggles are dwarfed by the blessings! Each of my brothers and sisters is a hero of sorts in my life, and growing up with them was both fun and wild. There were at least ten people at every meal—unless we had friends over, and then it was completely out-of-control.

The main subject of this book is