Happy Father's Day

Sonora Dodd, of Washington, thought of the first "Father's Day" while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

She wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran. Her mother died while giving birth to their sixth child, and left him to raise the newborn and five other children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington State.

Sonora appreciated the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.

Mr. Smart’s birthday was in June, so Sonora chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

Once, an educator friend of mine told me of a young male student strutting around the school and bragging that he was about to become a father, and there was “nothing to it”. He planned no involvement with the child, ‘cause he had already done the “important” part.

But, had he?

Is contributing your DNA to the procreation process the most significant part of being a father? Fatherhood, as a vocation, goes far deeper and is more complicated than just being involved in the conception.

Fathers come in many in many different packages: biological, adoptive, stepfathers, grandpas. Many non-traditional extended families have father figures that are uncles, brothers, Godfathers, or friends. Let’s face it, with fertility clinics; women don’t even need a partner to conceive any more.

So, what makes a man a real father? I know I have precious memories of my own dad that are special and help color my picture of what makes a father “real”. I’ll share just a few.

A Father Is Someone Who:

• Carries you into the house and puts you to bed when you fall asleep in the car.

• Gets dressed and goes searching for an all night grocery store at 1:00 AM because you’re throwing up and want some 7UP.

• Notices that you’re upset because everyone but you caught a fish on a camping trip. He sends you back to the camper to get him a cold drink while he watches your pole, then calls for you to hurry back because a fish bit your hook as soon as you left. It’s a small one (and sort of looks like one of the blue gills that were on his stringer) but you’re still happy.

• Firmly believes that no boy alive is good enough to date you, but is nice to your boyfriends anyway.

• Takes your training wheels off your bike because you want to ride like the big kids, then has to run beside you all afternoon until you get the hang of it.

• Drives you from the family campsite all the way to church for confirmation classes every Saturday because he doesn’t want you to miss class.

I hope my ramblings have sparked some memories of your own dad. If you’re lucky enough to have a “real” father and he’s still around, be sure to give him a big hug, and tell him why he’s special.

Happy Father’s Day!