Father's Day, 3rd Sunday in June. The idea for creating a day for children to honor
their fathers began in Spokane, Washington.
A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd
thought of the idea for Father's Day while
listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.
Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart,
after her mother died, Sonora wanted her
father to know how special he was to her. It was her
father that made all the parental sacrifices and was,
in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man.
Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to
hold the first Father's Day celebration in
Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third
Sunday in June as Father's Day.
Roses are the Fathers Day flowers:
red to be worn for a living father
and
white if the father has died.
When the good Lord was creating fathers, And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child size, And when God made a father's hands, they were large and sinewy.
And the angel shook her head sadly and said, God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough Then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders.
The angel nearly had a heart attack. God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. God was in the middle of creating two of the largest And God smiled and said, "They'll work. God worked throughout the night, giving the father few words, Finally, almost as an afterthought, He added tears. And the angel shutteth up!
By Erma Bombeck
He started with a tall frame.
And a female angel nearby said,
"What kind of father is that?
If you're going to make children so close to the ground,
why have you put fathers up so high?
He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling,
tuck a child in bed without bending,
or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping."
who would children have to look up to?"
"Do You know what You're doing? Large hands are clumsy.
They can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands
on pony tails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats."
to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end
of a day yet small enough to cup a child's face."
"Boy, this is the end of the week,
all right," she clucked. "Do You realize
You just made a father without a lap?
How is he going to pull a child close to him
without the kid falling between his legs?"
A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled,
balance a boy on a bicycle or hold a sleepy
head on the way home from the circus."
feet anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain
herself no longer. "That's not fair. Do You honestly
think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early
in the morning when the baby cries?
Or walk through a small birthday party without
crushing at least three of the guests?"
You’ll see. They'll support a small child who wants to
"ride a horse to Banbury Cross" or scare off mice at the
summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."
but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that see everything,
but remain calm and tolerant.
Then He turned to the angel and said, "Now are you
satisfied that he can love as much as a mother?"
A Dad is a person |
With Love
It takes more than blood to be a dad.
Oh this is surely a proven fact.
I've seen men give his heart to a child ...
Never once think of taking it back.
A Dad is the one who is always there;
He protects a child from all harm.
He gives a child the assurance that he
will be their anchor in any storm.
A real Dad is a man that teaches his child
all the things in life he needs to know.
He's the tower of strength a child leans on.
The source of love that helps them grow.
There are men that children call Daddy.
Oh, he is their shelter when it rains.
He showers them with unconditional love.
As if it were his blood in their veins.
Whenever you meet a Dad that redefines the word,
honor him with all the respect that is due.
Understand that he proudly wears this banner ...
Because his heart is big enough for you.
It's sad but true that not all men understand
it takes more than blood to be a dad.
Someday if they wake up to their empty life ...
They shall miss what they could have had.
To those men who will never be a dad ...
No matter what they say or do.
It takes more than blood to possess that title ...
And it's only found in a man like you.
In Honor of a true Dad
It is illegal to take or use a copyright
poem or work without original authors permission.
Daddy's Girl
When you were young, pony-tailed,
face full of playful freckles,
were you a daddy's girl?
I was. I still am.
Did you look to him for your security,
for love and attention,
for the understanding, and the patience you lacked
as a child?
My daddy was the center of my small world,
the focus of my affections,
the star that lit my life, shining bright.
Shining still in my heart.
The years have led me here,
weathered with maturity and responsibilities,
and I see more clearly now.
The hardships, burdens of love,
and all the small sacrifices he made for me,
for our family.
He created stability, a place to call home.
All the photographs I browse through
of a child long forgotten, scarcely remembered
smiling, so happy and so loved.
The mere thought of becoming that role model
is enough to send me cowering, afraid...
looking for guidance.
Turning to my father and my more for support,
advice, wise counsel, and for approval.
Grown up, I see differently now...
A new perspective of a man I have always known.
My heart is full, my emotions overpowering
just in the certainty of that bond.
He's been there for me through all the conflicts
helping me over the rough, ragged stones
of growing up.
My respect for him is unending,
faith is unbound, and love is unquestioning.
Even in the midst of all my imperfections, he is lenient,
ignoring the pitfalls, the downfalls, the shortcomings,
he just accepted me as I was, as I am.
The sheer purity of it leaves me awe-struck
and it lifts me up, it holds my head a little higher,
it keeps me in balance,
harmonizing with the world around me
beautifully, like an inspired masterpiece from the soul
of an honest man.
I am honored to know him, to love him, to be of him.
He's my hero, and I am his daughter, his little girl.
-Poem by Christine McNamara
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 Father
Four years old: My daddy can do anything.
Five years old: My daddy knows a whole lot.
Six years old: My dad is smarter than your dad.
Eight years old: My dad doesn't know exactly everything.
Ten years old: In the olden days, when my dad grew up,
things were sure different.
Twelve years old: Oh, well, naturally, Dad doesn't know anything
about that. He is too old to remember his childhood.
Fourteen years old: Don't pay any attention to my dad.
He is so old-fashioned.
Twenty-one years old: Him? My Lord, he's hopelessly out of date.
Twenty-five years old: Dad knows about it, but then he should,
because he has been around so long.
Thirty years old: Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks.
After all, he's had a lot of experience.
Thirty-five years old: I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad.
Forty years old: I wonder how Dad would have handled it. He was so wise.
Fifty years old: I'd give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this
over with him. Too bad I didn't appreciate how smart he was.
I could have learned a lot from him.
Writer Unknown
Her hair up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a bow. But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home, But, she was not afraid; she knew just what to say. But, the little girl went to school, eager to tell them all about There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to meet, Each of them was searching for a man who wasn't there. The words did not offend her, as she smiled at her friends, "My Daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away, He loved to tell me stories, he taught me to ride my bike, With that her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest, When she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into Then she closed her eyes, and saw him there that day. Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt "I know you're with me Daddy," to the silence she called out.
What happened next made believers, of those once filled with By Cheryl Costello-Forshey ©2000
Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go.
why, the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone.
What to tell her classmates, on this Daddy's Day.
But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone.
And, that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home.
a dad she never sees, a dad who never calls.
children
squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats.
One by one the teacher called a student from the class
to introduce their daddy as seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to stare.
"Where's her daddy?" she heard a boy call out
"She probably doesn't have one," another student dared to shout.
And, from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say
"Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to waste his day."
and looked back at her teacher, who told her to begin.
And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak,
and out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique.
but I know he wishes he could be with me on this day.
And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know,
all about my daddy, and how much he loves me so.
he surprised me with pink roses, and taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes and ice cream in a cone,
and though you cannot see him, I'm not standing all alone.
'Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are apart,
I know because he told me, he'll forever be here in my heart".
feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favorite dress.
From somewhere in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears, proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years. She stood up for
the love of a man not in her life,
doing what was best for her, doing what was right.
the crowd, she finished with a voice so soft, but
its message clear and loud, "I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star, if he could he'd be here, but
heaven's just too far. Sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away."
To her mother's amazement, she witnessed with surprise,
a room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.
inside? Perhaps for a second, they saw him at her side.
doubt. No one in that room could explain it, for each
of their eyes had been closed. But there placed
on her desktop, was a beautiful fragrant pink rose,
a child was blessed, if only a moment,
by the love of her shining bright star.
And, given the gift of believing that heaven is never too FAR.
T
heres a magic moment sent down from the sky.Descending so stealthily, it almost passes me by.
It may be in the morning or the late afternoon,
Or sometime after midnight, when the cow jumps over the moon.
Come, play with me.
Your presence is requested at a banquet for a bear.
The giraffe and the tiger insist you be there.
Please, hurry daddy, the tea is getting cold.
And you are getting old.
Come stay with me, play with me, daddy, please. . .
She brightens me with sunshine twinkling from her eyes.
She captures me with silence and playful long good-byes.
Its see you later alligator, after while crocodile.
Watch my special cartwheel, lets be buddies for a while.
And come, play with me.
Your presence is requested at a banquet for a bear.
The giraffe and the tiger insist you be there.
Please, hurry daddy, the tea is getting cold.
And you are getting old.
Come stay with me, play with me, daddy, please. . .
By Warren Throckmorton ©1989
All Dads on Deck
By Judy Delton, Alan Tiegreen
Dad's Dinosaur Day
By Diane Dawson Hearn
A Perfect Father's Day
By Eve Bunting, Susan Meadaugh
Whose Kids Are These Anyway
By Ken Swarner
The New Father
A Dad's Guide to the First Year
By Armin A. Brott
Alphabet Soup's Father's Day
Billy Bear's Happy Father's Day
Cyber Grandma's Happy Father's Day
Father's Day On The Net
Father's Day Recipes
Happy Father's Day by Charlene
Jess Cannon's Home Page
The Holiday Spot
What's a Dad
Woman's Day Father's Day