History Of Father's Day
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special. .
The origin of Father's Day is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father's Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.
Regardless of when the first true Father's Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington. She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.
Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to 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.
After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father's birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Children made special desserts, or visited their fathers if they lived apart.
In early times, wearing flowers was a traditional way of celebrating Father's Day. Mrs. Dodd favored the red rose to honor a father still living, while a white flower honored a deceased dad. J.H. Berringer, who also held Father's Day celebrations in Washington State as early as 1912, chose a white lilac as the Father's Day Flower.
States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father's Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." Since then, fathers had been honored and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June.
In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day and put the official stamp on a celebration that was going on for almost half a century.
Luke 15: 11-32
Dad will never say
Top Ten Things You'll Never Hear a Dad Say
10. Well, how 'bout that?... I'm lost! Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions.
9. You know Pumpkin, now that you're thirteen, you need these birth control pill, and have fun.
8. I noticed that all your friends have a certain "up yours" attitude ... I like that.
7. Here's a credit card and the keys to my new car -- GO CRAZY.
6. You kids don’t have enough piercing. Make sure you dress in grunge, pierce everything possible, and gage your ear enough for your finger to fit thru.
5. Your Mother and I are going away for the weekend ... you might want to consider throwing a party.
4. Well, I don't know what's wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies -- you know -- that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a mechanic and pay whatever he asks.
3. My teenage kids don’t need a curfew.
2. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.
1. Father's Day? aahh -- don't worry about that -- it's no big deal.
Worst Fathers Day Gifts
Thong swim suit in pink
Divorce Papers
A Pink Slip - paper or silk - either is BAD news
The kids 'repaired' all your power tools
Louis Kiel swimsuit addition
A paternity test
Tickets to "The Martha Stuart Monologues"
DVD of Disco Dancing
A nipple ring
The kids redecorated your workshop
Abe Vagoda's Enema Jambouree
Martha Stuart Cook Book
Your single daughter is pregnant
A map- real men don’t need maps
Al Gores comedy selections
Pet rock
The clapper
Ebola Beer
New bed complete with white silk scarf and ice-pick holder
From wife: "Honey, I'm pregnant!"
A tie of ANY kind
A shopping spree planned by your wife
Extra Strength Viagra
How does your father stack up? I was on line the other day and googled my dad. One of the sights was for writing emails to your father who has since passed away. You can tell your father why you are mad at him. People tell their fathers how they are mad because he died. Some tell there fathers how mad they are because their fathers were never there for them. Some tell of their fathers abuse towards them. The sorrow is so great, that I could not make it through very many of the letters. The sadness that fathers day brings to some is enormous. I know that my wife has a lot of sorrow when remembering her father. There are fathers out there who don’t deserve to be honored. Some have abandoned their children, some have abused their children, and some are just not very nice.
There are fathers out there who go unnoticed. They are there day in and day out without being noticed. They fulfill their roles by giving their kids everything, but their time. They let their money show their love. There are those who can’t afford to let money show their love, so they give their love and attention. There are some who do both.
Fathers come in all sizes. Big ones, small one, hairy ones, bald ones, handsome ones, ugly ones, smelly ones, cologned ones. There are loud ones and soft ones, there are flamboyant ones, and shy ones. There are ones that pass gas in public, scratch their butts in public, laugh really loud, burp real loud. Some father might even try to embarrass you in public. There are fathers who try to be cool, when they are square. Some of us fathers are dumb, and some are smart. Some of us look like our fathers. ) Samuel Clements ( Mark Twain) once said, “When I was growing up, my father didn’t know anything, and by the time I became an adult, it surprised me how smart my father had become.” My children are quick to tell me how I just don’t understand. Life is soo different now I cannot comprehend anything.
How many fathers out there are single fathers? I lot of attention is placed on the single mom, but how about the single Dad. Since health problem forced me out of the work field, I’ve had to do most of the house chores. It is not easy. My hat is off to the single dad.
Then there is the case of recognition. When a sport figure has a camera placed in his face during a game, what is the first thing he says? Is it, Hi Dad? No, It’s Hi Mom.
Us fathers are proud when the first words that come out of a baby’s mouth is dada. Then doctors are quick to point out that babies call everything dada.
Then there is the first bike ride. There is the father running behind the bike, making sure his child does not fall. When your child is asked who taught them, they say,”I did it myself.”
Let’s talk about the TV dads. In my time, there were show like FATHER KNOWS BEST, MY THREE SONS, AND LEAVE IT TO BEAVER. The father was revered. When he came home the dinner was ready, made by his wife, cooking in a dress. The father was wise. Now you have father figures like, AL BUNDY, HOMER SIMPSON, AND THE FAMILY GUY. Movies portray fathers as unfaithful, pedifials, wife beaters, killers, and men who only care about themselves. If they like sports, they are demonized as lazy couch potatoes. If they help around the house they are called feminine.
If a women wear man clothes, like three piece suits, they are called “professional.” If men wear women clothes…………well lets not go there.
In this new age, it is tough being an all knowing father. Instead of fathers teaching there kids stuff, us fathers have to ask our kids to program our VCRs. I learned computer in college, and was looking forward eagerly to share punch cards, and computer language with my kids. I could bring them down and show them how they managed to squeeze a whole computer in one room. Now I have to ask them how to turn on the computer.
How about discipline from a father. Moms use to say, “wait till your father get home.” That used to install fear in any child. Now days the children response is, Why?. Spanking is illegal, shouting is wrong. When we fathers get home, what are we suppose to do? ……………………………………………….. Fathers have the final say, mom always say, go ask your father. That’s when you hear, Mom said it is alright if it is ok with you………………………………….. Try saying NO……………………………… Why is it that fathers have to explain their answers to their kids. If you answer yes, you are a great father, and if you answer no, you have to answer 100 questions, along with the obligatory, “You just don’t understand, but Mom said it was ok.” Let’s not forget that if you said ok, Mom was hoping you would say no, and now you are in deep…………………
The ten commandment state, Honor your father and your mother. I guess we need to put an asterisk next to it. Colossians 3:18-21. WIVES, SUBMIT TO YOUR HUSBANDS, AS IT IS FITTING IN THE LORD. HUSBANDS LOVE YOUR WIVES AND DO NOT BE HARSH TO THEM. CHILDREN OBEY YOUR PARENTS IN EVERYTHING, FOR THIS PLEASES THE LORD. FATHERS, DO NOT EMBITTER YOUR CHILDREN OR THEY WILL BECOME DISCOURAGED. Now according to Paul, we can’t “pick” on our children or they will become discouraged.
One of my children asked me, “since they have Mothers day and Fathers day, why don’t they have childrens day? What? 363 days of the year is not enough?
What’s this about “The Look”. Every father is suppose to have one. Moms don’t have the look, only fathers.
All kidding aside, I love being a father. The rewards may be few and far between, but they are the greatest rewards. The simple, Thanks Dad, youre the greatest, or I love you PAPA. Our when your child sticks up for you in an argument.
Let me tell you about my father. He was a father of six kids and worked very hard. I remember all the things that we did together
I loved sports. I spent hours throwing the ball against the garage door, because my dad didn’t like baseball. I spent hours shooting baskets by myself because my dad didn’t like basketball. The hours we could have spent hunting if my father liked to hunt, which he didn’t. We did spend some time fishing. For hours we sat in a rowboat in the middle of Green Lake waiting for the bobber to sink. Dad told me to keep quiet to as not to scare the fish. He did let me carry his clubs a few times on the golf course while he played with his friends. My mom taught me how to play golf. I was so proud when I played on sports teams, only to look in the stands and not see my dad. He was away working. When my mom had the time, she would be there.
I loved music. My dad was tone deaf, so he said. He did buy me a clarienet and we did have a piano in the house. He paid for the piano lessons. He got up with me at 6 oclock in the morning to make sure I practiced. He was there for some of my concerts, but I overheard him telling my mom that he would rather be somewhere else. Later in life ,when I had to go to these concerts, I understood.
My father was part of an era where fathers did not express their emotions. Getting a hug from my dad was very difficult. My fathers left the raising of the kids to my mom.
You know, I had the greatest Dad in the world when I was growing up. My Dad was there for me in many other ways. He supported the way my mom raised us. His job forced him to travel, but I always remember the candy bars he brought. My father bought me the things I needed, not just what I wanted. My father took the time to sit down and talk with me. When I got in trouble at school for fighting, my father stood up for me when he found out it was in self defense.
My father never raised his hand against his wife or his kids. My father never fooled around. My father didn’t have a foul tongue. When I would get hurt, guess who was there?
My father and I never saw eye to eye. Even though I was named after him, I felt that I was the least loved. In a family of Six kids, I was the “middle child. I was younger than three siblings by 2years, and older then my two youngest brothers by 5 years. Being named after your father was not easy. I felt that he had to go out of his way not to show favoritism. If my father said that something was blue, I would say it was red, just to be different. My father and I argued over the smallest of things. My Mom would say it was because we were so much alike, which would make me even madder. I would cringe when people would say that I looked and sounded just like my dad. I wanted to be different. Then my Mom would side with my dad, so I would be mad at her.
I got the hand me downs from my older brother, and my two younger brothers got new clothes. My curfew were stricter (in my mind) than anyone else’s. I got in trouble if I picked on my older sister or my younger brothers. As I grew older, my father and I drew farther apart, and my Mom stopped being the peace maker.
The summer after I turned 18, I moved out of the house. I enrolled in Grand Rapid Junior College and lived with my brother in an apartment. I had a job and went to school for two years. My brother went into the service, and I moved back home. I got a full time job and was saving my money up to go away to school.
One Saturday morning, I was sleeping in my room downstairs, my father was playing golf, I thought I heard my Mom laughing upstairs. As I slowly woke up, I realized that she was crying. I rushed upstairs to find he collapsed on the bathroom floor. She was unconscious, but breathing. I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. I called my sister, who was a nurse and on duty, to ask what to do. I had done everything you could do for a person who had fainted, and nothing was working. I called the golf course and was fortunate to get my father, who rushed home. My father and I attempted to move her to the car to take her to the hospital, but she was in to much pain and moving in and out of consciousness. We called the ambulance, which took her to the hospital. She remained in the hospital for 6 weeks, in a comma, with a brain aneurysm, until she passed away. During this time, my father and I became reacquainted. He shared with me things he had never shared before. I learned more about him in 6 weeks, then I had learned about him in 21 + years. When my father remarried, I was his best man.
I went back to college, to finish my degree, and ended up getting a job as a sales rep for a national paint company, just like my Dad. When I was tranfered to New York where I met my wife, my father was very proud. When my son was born, I called him Don, my father was proud again. I moved to Midland Michigan with another paint company, and again my father was proud. Then I excepted a job with the same company that my father worked for, and he was even more proud, even though we had to move to Indianapolis. He enjoyed visiting his grandchildren when he could. Soon after he retired, I was fired. He spent much time talking with me, and helping me thru the tough times. When job opened up in Muskegon, I took it. It was a chance to move home, I took it. I had chances to play golf and my kids could see their grandparents more often. My father had also become a father to my wife, who’s father was abusive and couldn’t care less.
My father and I don’t talk anymore. My father doesn’t even know who I am. He never calls me on the phone. When I visit him, he doesn’t even speak to me. As much as I try to talk with him, he ignores me. I tell him that I love him. And he does not answer. There are times when I wish my father would die, and yet I love him very much. My father left without saying goodbye. My father had Alzheimer disease. He would sits in a wheelchair, oblivious to his surroundings. He would still smiles, but his mind left a while ago. He might recognize his wife once in a while, but that is usually fleeting. He still could pray, and recognized hymns once in a while.
I was wrong when I said that my father and I don’t talk anymore. When I would sit with him and hold his hand, great memories came back. I know that somewhere behind that blank stare is my Dad. We conversed all the time, though no words are spoken. My memories are of a father who loved me very much, and I almost missed out on it. He doesn’t need to say one word to me, because he already has given me more then I deserve. It took a while for me to come around, but now I hear his voice wherever I go. My father is so intelligent, and I was too dumb to see it. My Dad never pushed me into anything, or threatened me if I did wrong. My fathers love to me is unconditional. It transcends disease, and death. His love is always, and will always be there. This is what I think of everyday, not just fathers day.
My heavenly fathers love to me is the same. It was established long ago, waiting for me to embrace it. It is waiting for you also, if you desire to except it. There are no strings attached, no group to join, and no one else to impress. This father has a fathers day once a week, but will accept your gifts any day. This father has given you more then you deserve. There is one string attached. You have to meet him halfway.
Yes, EVERYONE HAS A FATHER.
Thank you father, and by the way, HAPPY FATHERS DAY.
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