“Never Give Up, Son” By – David LeGrand

His name is Fred Maurice LeGrand. Most people call him “Frenchy”. Some call him “Honest Frenchy”, others “Eagle Beak”. Ron and I, and four other kids, call him Dad. The theme of his life was Never Give Up!  From my earliest childhood, and still to this day, his words ring in my ears, “never give up son, never give up”.

            When I was about six years old, a hurricane came through Green Cove Springs, Florida. The next morning when I looked out the window, sheet metal was scattered everywhere. Dad’s whole amusement park had been devastated by the hurricane. I said “Dad, what now?’ “Put your clothes on son, we’ve gotta put it all back together so we can open on Saturday.” I said “Surely Dad you are kidding.” He wasn’t! By Saturday the shooting gallery, concession stands, and the rides were again open for business. “The show must go on” he said.

            No matter how tough the times or how great the obstacles, Dad found a way to get the job done. He practiced what he preached and lived what he believed. No wonder he was such an inspiration to hundreds in his lifetime. Mom and us six children always had a roof over our head, never went hungry, and every Christmas there was a half room full of presents. What you call a problem, Dad would have called a challenge or opportunity.

            Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to take action in the face of fear. Regardless of the current economy or the obstacles in your personal life, you have only failed if you quit. The way I figure it, everyone is going to eat and  rest their head somewhere. So if you are in the food or house business, you will always have a prospect to market to.

            Perhaps you have heard of the patience of Job, the man in the Bible. He was a rich man who lost everything he had, including his ten children. His wife told him to curse God and die. His three so called friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar proceeded to lecture him on what a miserable failure he was and accuse him of all kinds of stuff he never did. But he rejected his critics and stayed faithful to the Lord who restored to him ten more children and twofold all his property.

            My brother Ron spends most of his waking hours staying on the cutting edge to make you successful in real estate. Like our Dad, there is no way he is going to give up! You can listen to the Eliphaz, Bildad, or Zophar in your life or you can ask “What would Ron do?” When Ron started real estate in 1982 I chose to follow his lead. Now at 84, I am glad Barbara and I do not have to depend on social security and scratch and dig the rest of our life. THANKS RON!

            And thanks Dad for teaching us to “NEVER GIVE UP”.

             Never doubt in the dark what you believed in the light.