The founder of Preszler Woodshop discusses his long-time estrangement from his father and how he overcame the grief and loss of his father's death through a carpentry project completed with inherited tools. When his cancer-stricken father died, after years of estrangement, Preszler's only inheritance was a beat-up wooden toolbox that had belonged to his father, who was a cattle rancher, rodeo champion, and Vietnam War Bronze Star Medal recipient. Preszler did not work with his hands, but in his grief came an epiphany: he would make something with his inheritance. He decided to build a wooden canoe that he aimed to paddle on the first anniversary of his father's death. As he confronted unexpected revelations about his father's secret history-- and his own struggle for self-respect-- the canoe became his sole consolation and the means to change his life.
