Fathers are
wonderful people
Too little understood,
And we do not sing their praises
As often as we should...
For, somehow, Father seems to be
The man who pays the bills,
While Mother binds up little hurts
And nurses all our ills...
And Father struggles daily
To live up to "HIS IMAGE"
As protector and provider
And "hero or the scrimmage"...
And perhaps that is the reason
We sometimes get the notion,
That Fathers are not subject
To the thing we call emotion,
But if you look inside Dad's heart,
Where no one else can see
You'll find he's sentimental
And as "soft" as he can be...
But he's so busy every day
In the grueling race of life,
He leaves the sentimental stuff
To his partner and his wife...
But Fathers are just WONDERFUL
In a million different ways,
And they merit loving compliments
And accolade of praise,
For the only reason Cad aspires
To fortune and success
Is to make the family proud of him
And to bring them happiness...
And like OUR HEAVENLY FATHER,
He's a guardian and a guide,
Someone that we can count on
To be ALWAYS ON OUR SIDE.
Helen
Steiner Rice
Lessons
My Father Taught Me
I watched you
today, as you watched
your grandchildren, my children- and wondered
how you endured the pain, fear, joy and elation
that transforms us into parents.
I remembered the patience, the laughter, the tears.
Do I have the strength to endure it all?
It is with great anticipation that I take these
baby steps as guardian, guide and parent, filled with
a fear of flying and failing- hoping that I might find
as you have- the child within myself, the magic of youth.
To encourage the spirit and to nurture the imagination
as well as the soul.
I will move slowly, delicately, yet boldly-
armed with the wisdom of your life, your love,
with full awareness of my shortcomings, yet pride
in my strength, thankful that it was you
that brought me to this place, this time, this love.
I watched you today as you watched your grandchildren.
-Poem by Monique Wright-Hanna
My
Hero
As I ponder
the love that I saw in his eyes,
A Godly love, given without compromise....
I recall many times that he stood by my side,
And prodded me on with great vigor and pride.
His voice ever confident, firm and yet fair,
Always speaking with patience, tenderness and care.
The power and might of his hands was so sure,
I knew there was nothing we couldn't endure.
It's true, a few others provided insight,
Yet, he laid the foundation that kept me upright.
He's the grandest of men to have lived on this earth,
Although he's not royal by stature or birth.
He's a man of great dignity, honor and strength.
His merits are noble, and of admirable length.
He's far greater than all other men that I know,
He's my Dad, he's my mentor, my friend and hero.
-Poem by Debbie Hinton Young
The
Story of Father's Day
Ann
TaylorFather's Day, contrary to popular misconception,
was not established as a holiday in order to help
greeting card manufacturers sell more cards. In fact when
a "father's day" was first proposed there were
no Father's Day cards!
Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea
of a "father's day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a
special day to honor her father, William Smart. William
Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs.
Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child.
Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other
five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern
Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult
that she realized the strength and selflessness her
father had shown in raising his children as a single
parent.
The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in
Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various
towns and cities across American other people were
beginning to celebrate a "father's day." In
1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a
national Father's Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon
Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the
3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your
father, but all men who act as a father figure.
Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends
are all be honored on Father's Day.
Happy 
