Father’s Day

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
Fathers Day Quote by: Jim Valvano

Today is the day set aside to honor our fathers, not only appreciating them for who they are, but for making us who we are.

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day. Why did this take so long, after all  President Woodrow Wilson’s signature made official an annual Mother’s Day more than half a century earlier in 1914. Although not  holidays as we think of in the way of Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc,  both of these days are meant to remind us of the importance of not only our parents, but all those who, like our parents, steer and guide us through our lives.

I can’t imagine any father that can live up to the ideals  set for them in society like  “The Father Knows Best “or “Cosby Kids” versions. That is unrealistic in our  world. No real father has all the answers; the best ones are those that simply teach us to ask good questions.

Most father/son and father/daughter relationships are full of lifelong tensions and complications. I know that’s how my dad and I were-although the tensions and complications were fewer and far between the older, or should I say, more mature I got. There’s really no avoiding having some issues with the very person whose job it is — indeed, whose very definition is — to first tell you what you can and can’t do, and later  to push you out of the proverbial nest and trust you to make your own decisions.

And yet, so many of us are blessed with fathers and “father figures” who teach us by example, who love us no matter what, who give us the gift of their attention and admiration, who lay down a path for us, then gently nudge us down it. The men in our lives who are able to do those things are truly remarkable and deserve our deepest gratitude. Even for the grownups, fathers are someone whom you look up to for the most experienced and honest advice that is always in our best interest. For this great figure in our lives that we know as father - it becomes our utmost duty to pay our humblest tribute on the occasion of Father's Day.

Thank you for everything Dad. We may not have said it often enough, but how could we let this day go by without saying how much you meant to us.

We appreciate everything you did for us. And, I know you’re watching over “the Castle” as we motor down the road on our journeys. After all, your name and memories of you, always ride with us.

So I encourage each of you to take time today to think about your father, the father of your children, those who have “fathered” you and your loved ones throughout your lives. If those men are still in your life, be sure to thank them. If they have moved on, simply give eternal, everlasting thanks.

‘Til next time…………….