A Proud Pride
My apologies for the delay in posting our November blog post! Life happens.
Happy Veterans Day! We are thankful for the service of our country men and women. We appreciate daily the freedoms we hold so dear, made possible and protected by generations of veterans. Go out of your way to thank the veterans in your life and community, and not just today. A special thank you to our hygienist Joe! He's an Army guy and emulates all of the Army values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honor, integrity, personal courage. These are values that should be woven into how we live our lives, to make ourselves, our community and our nation the best they can be. Thank you Joe, our numerous Canton dentists and dental team members, and to all who have served!
The word pride sends my head spinning. It's a simple word, one that a second grader could spell, or in my case, a fourth grader. However, like many emotions, it's much easier to "feel" than it is to articulate. Pride is a unique force. It has positive and negative connotations. It can be used to build, or destroy. It can be enzymatic or an impasse. Even though it can be everywhere, the absence of pride can influence equivalently. For me, pride equals fire.
We are slowly introduced to pride at an early age through a variety of mediums. For some children, they first learn self-pride based on achievements, for instance, stickers for good behavior. Others learn pride through material things, like their American Doll or Lego collections. Others, like me, first learned about pride in Kindergarten. I didn't learn about it from the "letter people," building blocks, or the now-absent nap-time. I learned about pride, dressed in my Cub Scout uniform, staring wide-eyed at a piece of red, white and blue fabric reciting a very broken Pledge of Allegiance. Eventually, that little Tiger Cub grew to be an Eagle Scout, learning to live the ways of the Scout Oath and Motto. I learned to take pride in my work, to be proud of hard-earned accomplishments, proud to be an integral part of something bigger than myself, but most importantly to be proud of others.
I'm blessed with the ability to work "glove in glove" with my Dad. I hear everyday from patients, "your father must be so proud of you." The truth is: he is. I know this because he has been telling me since I was a Tiger Cub. Dad never used the phrase flippantly or exorbitantly. He was always genuine and encouraging. His pride, along with my mom and grandparents, helped to build my self-esteem and freed me to discover and live my passions. Is there a greater gift one can give to their child?
Last month, the whole pride thing came full circle. The American College of Dentists is the oldest major honorary organization for dentists. Its members have exemplified excellence through outstanding leadership and exceptional contributions to dentistry and society. Less than 3.5% of dentists are considered for induction. On October 19th, Dr. George T. Williams was inducted into the American College of Dentists. To think, a first generation born Lebanese-American would start his professional journey across the street from Woody's Root Beer Stand on Fulton Road and lead him across nearly four decades to the American College of Dentists in Atlanta, Georgia.
Having worked with Dad for awhile now, I have come to truly appreciate his dedication to patients and the community, his work ethic and his passion for dentistry. It's the daily grind, the behind the scenes and the difficult decisions that no one sees which really made this incredible achievement so well deserved. I can't tell you how special it is to work side by side with him. I can't tell you how special it is for me to see the difference he makes. And, I can't tell you how special it is for me to say "I'm proud of you Dad."
Congratulations!
Happy Veterans Day! We are thankful for the service of our country men and women. We appreciate daily the freedoms we hold so dear, made possible and protected by generations of veterans. Go out of your way to thank the veterans in your life and community, and not just today. A special thank you to our hygienist Joe! He's an Army guy and emulates all of the Army values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honor, integrity, personal courage. These are values that should be woven into how we live our lives, to make ourselves, our community and our nation the best they can be. Thank you Joe, our numerous Canton dentists and dental team members, and to all who have served!The word pride sends my head spinning. It's a simple word, one that a second grader could spell, or in my case, a fourth grader. However, like many emotions, it's much easier to "feel" than it is to articulate. Pride is a unique force. It has positive and negative connotations. It can be used to build, or destroy. It can be enzymatic or an impasse. Even though it can be everywhere, the absence of pride can influence equivalently. For me, pride equals fire.
We are slowly introduced to pride at an early age through a variety of mediums. For some children, they first learn self-pride based on achievements, for instance, stickers for good behavior. Others learn pride through material things, like their American Doll or Lego collections. Others, like me, first learned about pride in Kindergarten. I didn't learn about it from the "letter people," building blocks, or the now-absent nap-time. I learned about pride, dressed in my Cub Scout uniform, staring wide-eyed at a piece of red, white and blue fabric reciting a very broken Pledge of Allegiance. Eventually, that little Tiger Cub grew to be an Eagle Scout, learning to live the ways of the Scout Oath and Motto. I learned to take pride in my work, to be proud of hard-earned accomplishments, proud to be an integral part of something bigger than myself, but most importantly to be proud of others.
I'm blessed with the ability to work "glove in glove" with my Dad. I hear everyday from patients, "your father must be so proud of you." The truth is: he is. I know this because he has been telling me since I was a Tiger Cub. Dad never used the phrase flippantly or exorbitantly. He was always genuine and encouraging. His pride, along with my mom and grandparents, helped to build my self-esteem and freed me to discover and live my passions. Is there a greater gift one can give to their child?
Last month, the whole pride thing came full circle. The American College of Dentists is the oldest major honorary organization for dentists. Its members have exemplified excellence through outstanding leadership and exceptional contributions to dentistry and society. Less than 3.5% of dentists are considered for induction. On October 19th, Dr. George T. Williams was inducted into the American College of Dentists. To think, a first generation born Lebanese-American would start his professional journey across the street from Woody's Root Beer Stand on Fulton Road and lead him across nearly four decades to the American College of Dentists in Atlanta, Georgia.
Having worked with Dad for awhile now, I have come to truly appreciate his dedication to patients and the community, his work ethic and his passion for dentistry. It's the daily grind, the behind the scenes and the difficult decisions that no one sees which really made this incredible achievement so well deserved. I can't tell you how special it is to work side by side with him. I can't tell you how special it is for me to see the difference he makes. And, I can't tell you how special it is for me to say "I'm proud of you Dad."
Congratulations!
Dr. George R. Williams is a general dentist at Williams Family Dental Group in Canton, Ohio. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and Canton Mercy Medical Center General Practice Residency. For questions or suggestions for blog posts, please feel free to contact him at drgrw@williamsdentalgroup.com
Visit us at williamsdentalgroup.com or our Facebook page!
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