Bruce Asakawa

by Sharon Asakawa

“Do you know how many pony packs of plants we have to sell in order to pay for your… (and Bruce would fill in the blanks with any number of our children’s pleading requests for items from new gadgets to the latest video game or rock concert tickets)? Their eyes would roll in the back of their heads while thinking to themselves, “Here it comes again…the lecture about the difficulty of earning money compared to the ease of spending it.”

From their toddler years onward, they spent a lot of their lives at our family garden center and saw firsthand how hard their father worked and as they grew older, helped price the merchandise, stocked the shelves, waited on customers and manned the cash register.

A family business is demanding, but it also gave the children much more time with their father compared to other parents whose workplaces were in more traditional corporate offices or companies. They not only helped at the nursery, but learned how to ride bikes, roller skate, drive the electric carts, and just have fun.

And most important, Bruce was an on-hands father who showered them with good humor, his attention, and his love. Now that Tasia and Eric are adults with children of their own, they also are conscientious and loving parents, due in no small part to their own father. May families shower their good humor, attention, and love to their own fathers this Sunday and every day. Happy Father’s Day!