A Son Draws Strength From His Dad’s Fight To Build A Better Life

The sounds of Texas.

By Joy DiazJune 18, 2020 1:05 pmArts & Culture, Sounds of Texas

Courtesy Diaz family

With the coronavirus ravaging the economy, Joshua Diaz, far right, was looking for wisdom. That got him thinking about his dad, Derek. After years of success as a builder in Michigan, Derek faced major setbacks when the economy cratered in 2008. He and his family moved to Texas for a new start. As it turned out, though, he needed a couple of new starts – and he got them. Joshua says it was his dad's tenacity that helped his family through hard times.

“The crisis left him financially and psychologically in despair.”

“The next step in life was, figure out how to feed a family.”

“He packed up my mom, my sister and me, and we all moved to Texas.”

“I was offered to come to Beaumont, Texas to build a restaurant. … It quickly became as bad, or worse than what I left in Michigan. I went on unemployment twice.”

“But life still wasn’t done throwing hurdles in the way of my dad’s big plans.”

“I had a minor setback here with COVID-19, but I think I have the arrows in my quiver to understand it. Stay calm, keep moving.”

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