“Learn from the mistakes of others — you can never live long enough to make them all yourself.”
—John Luther
Today’s story is from Grady Mosby.
A father’s mistakes can echo through generations. I would know. My Dad’s life mistakes echoed through mine. And mine, through my sons’ lives.
Grady with his twins, 30 yrs. ago
I’m Grady Mosby. A father. A husband. My twin boys, now 32 years old, are fathers themselves. I can be proud of my life now — I’m a Christian, born-again. A family man. A businessman.
But it was a long, ugly road to get where I am. Some thought I’d never make it (including myself). Alcohol, drugs, women — You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen and done (I sometimes don’t believe them myself).
Where did it begin?
Maybe with Jerry Mosby, my dad. A former championship boxer. He was gregarious, hilarious and tough. We worshiped the ground that he walked on, but it wasn’t enough. Dad was always dreaming, scheming for more. He wrote bad checks, he deceived and he stole. His dumb choices caught up with him. He ended up in prison.
It was a tough time for all. My mom became a single mom, working long hours to feed three kids (my twin brother died at 9 months old). My siblings and I became the butt of jokes, the object of scorn. Then Mom and Dad divorced and I was crushed. With Dad in jail and Mom at work, there was little supervision.
Eventually the backlash became too much. Mom moved us away. Life was uprooted. We started again.
Life was looking up — for a while. At my new high school, I was picked for quarterback. The very first day of school, I broke my femur (thigh bone). Months of rehab followed. I would never play again. I met a girl my senior year; we got pregnant. We had beautiful twin boys and married. My wife and I grew apart and divorced, too. I swore to myself I’d never do the same.
After school, my own losses, and echoes of Dad’s, proved more than I could bear. I got a great job — then drank and drugged it away. My twin boys were caught up in the middle… Just like I once was.
Just as my dad’s had through mine, my own mistakes echoed loudly through my boys’ lives. The boys watched as I drowned my demons in alcohol and drugs. Distracted myself with women. Time after time, I let my boys down. They didn’t speak to me for years (I can’t blame them). To my shame, I later learned they experimented with drugs in their dark hours as well.
(This story isn’t all bad… I promise.)
Grady Mosby today
I finally kicked my habits — with the help of rehab and another Father (the one above). I worked the 12 steps — and I asked all for forgiveness. My Dad and I reconnected (he wasn’t perfect, I realized, but then neither was I). I mended my ties with my boys… And now we’re now best friends. They’re happy, healthy, successful and drug-free — and daddies themselves.
The echo was silenced. Dad’s spell was broken.
I’m a businessman now — I’m part of a highly successful BMW dealership in Arizona. I’m an author. I’m a father and grandfather.
What can you learn from my life? And from my Dad’s?
Dads’ mistakes echo through lives, through generations too.
But it’s never too late. To silence the echo. To live again. To become a great Dad.
Grady Mosby’s book
Grady Mosby is the proud father of twin boys and grandfather to five beautiful grandchildren. He graduated Cum Laude with Honors from the University of Missouri-Rolla, School of Mines and Metallurgy with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering and a Minor in Communications.
Says Grady, “I have also earned a PhD, through self-study, from the School of Hard Knocks, USA.”
Today, Grady enjoys a successful career in sales and sales training, clean and sober. In his spare time, Grady enjoys singing, dancing, playing guitar and spending time with his family. He is passionate about helping others who suffer from addiction problems. “Never give up!” he urges.