Bought with a Price
Things My Dad Taught Me
by
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Dad on Notre Dame
Their are few institutions my father loved more on this earth than the University of Notre Dame. What was it that made Dad so found of Notre Dame? It is that the University has priorities involved at the core of the institution.
What I mean by that is Notre Dame stands for something! And what it stands for are those things which were important in my Dad's life. First, God. Yes the University without apology acknowledges, teaches, and promotes a model of “Action Based Faith”. This was key in my Dad's life. They make it clear, that faith without action is a faith in name only.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, while here on earth did not just tell people about how to live, he also met them at their point of need! In other words Christ set the example for every believer.
Oh yes, then there is football. My father, never attended Notre Dame University as an undergraduate, but as a poor Irish kid, was a proud member of the subway alumni. Dad loved the integrity that Notre Dame was run with. No one who has ever been on campus for a game can walk away without an almost religious experience. What do I mean by that? Let me share some an experience my sons and I had at the Notre Dame vs BYU game on November 23, 2013.
We asked a passer by who was headed in the opposite direction, how can we get to the Rockne Memorial? This perfect stranger asked “are you guys here for the game?”, yes we said, the amazing part was He answered, “well welcome to Notre Dame, let me walk you over there.”
We thanked him after he took us over there and then began to discuss amongst ourselves, “can you believe he stopped what he was doing and just walked us over here”. His act of kindness, made a big impression on my two grandsons. My son's and I were blown away.
The University of Notre Dame on game day is as close to heaven as a true football fan can get here on earth. The tradition, yes tradition is important because you see Notre Dame's reputation was earned by the sacrifices of so many in the past. The student body because they have bought in and clearly show a love not just for each other, but for the University itself. The greeters who are stationed all over campus welcoming you, some traveling over six or seven hours for every home game just to welcome folks to Notre Dame.
Dad truly loved Notre Dame. When Dad was stricken Ill with cancer. My Aunt's in Chicago wrote a letter to Coach Lou Holtz telling him about Dad's situation. Dad received a hand written note from coach Holtz wishing him well. You see even a famous person like coach Holtz took time out his hectic schedule to send my Dad a note. This is what makes Notre Dame great!
There were two things you could get in real trouble for in Dad's home,
1) Talking back to my mother and
2) Walking between my father and the TV during a Notre Dame football game.
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About the Book
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.
About the Author
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.