FATHER’S DAY, CELEBRATED ON THE THIRD SUNDAY IN JUNE.
FATHERS! That word can mean so many different things and involve many different people in our lives. It can include our birth father, an adoptive father, a religious priest, a step-father, or just a “father figure” of someone special to us in our lives. It can be a person who gives us life advice or a spiritual influencer who has a special connection to us.
Father’s Day is celebrated in the United States each June to honor fathers. Credit for the holiday is generally given to Sonora Smart Dodd, whose father raised her and her five siblings, after their mother died. She is said to have been inspired to honor fathers in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day. The first Father’s Day was celebrated in June,1910, the month of the birthday of Dodd’s father. Several US Presidents gave support for the honoring of fathers, but it didn’t become a national holiday until 1972, when Pres. Richard Nixon signed legislation designating the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day. The movement to celebrate fathers did not meet with the same enthusiasm as Mother’s Day, perhaps because, as one florist explained, “fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.”
Although both Mother’s Day, which became a Federal Holiday in 1914, and Father’s Day were originally largely a religious holiday, both days have been memorialized with the sending of greeting cards and the giving of gifts. While flowers are typically given on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is typically celebrated by a special meal, such as a cook-out, to honor our fathers. In addition, other men in our lives, such as grandfathers or uncles who have positively influenced our lives, are often also honored on that day.
My father was a very generous man, but he never liked people to make a fuss over him. He was extremely active in our local county by helping low income people find housing and jobs. The Library in our town was established with a lot of encouragement from my father who was on the town council. He received many awards for his unselfish assistance to the community. I was taught that all people were equal; no matter what color or race. He was an economist who worked for the US Government until his retirement. I was especially close to him, more so than my mother, as he told me once that he had hoped for a girl when my mother was pregnant and when I was born, he thought I was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. Dad was always supportive of whatever I chose to do and I never remember hearing him get angry. I cannot recall any occasion hearing my parents have any sort of fight.
When Dad wasn’t at work and it was light outside, he was out working in our yard planting or moving shrubs around to make the yard look beautiful. In the evenings after work, he would often be gone assisting the needy. He loved music but never had any training because he grew up on a farm. There was never time or money for him to have lessons since he was the oldest of five siblings and had a lot of responsibilities to help my grandfather run the farm. My parents were foster parents for two different groups of children, several of whom called him Dad until he passed away. As you can tell, I loved my father very much and I look forward to seeing him again in the next life.
If you want to get a gift for your father, scroll up to the “Amazing Deals” link or check out one of the “stores” on this page and you can find many bargains, one of which might just be the perfect fit for your Dad.