Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Darren Milam
Sunday, June 18, 2023
Given the day, Father’s Day, I wanted to start off with a little history of the holiday. According to Wikipedia, the official American national holiday, celebrating fathers/fatherhood, is credited to a teenage girl living in Spokane, WA. You can read more about Sonora Smart Dodd and how the holiday came about, by typing her name into Wikipedia. If I could, I’d like to thank her for thinking of her own father and wanting to celebrate who he was to her.
For me personally, the day takes on a different meaning now. My father passed away a few years ago, but that’s not the sole reason I view the day differently. One aspect is that I am older and past the stage of making my dad a card and giving him a tie (one he’ll never wear). Now when I think of Father’s Day, I reflect on the fact that I am a father of two and a grandfather (Pops) of two as well. To me, the celebration isn’t about the amount of golf or barbeque on the schedule for the day, it’s reflecting on the relationship(s) – both past and present.
When I reflect back on my relationship with my own father, I think of us working on cars together, or playing catch in the backyard. I remember the camping trips and the Spring Break Road trips to Arizona, with a baseball game or two along the way. The numerous hours of fishing or boating. I remember the experiences we enjoyed together.
Fast forward to me becoming a father. What a joy it was and still is. All the things I have experienced with my own two children. Now one of them has two children of her own, allowing me to have the opportunities to have all new experiences and relationships with them.
This is exactly what God wants. He wants a relationship with each one of us. He wants to share experiences and be part of our lives. We call Him our Heavenly Father for a reason. God doesn’t need a specific day, marked on the calendar for the third Sunday in June. No, God wants to be in our hearts and minds all the time. We have the chance to choose Him and have an eternal relationship with our Father.
Until that glorious day, I want to take time for all the earthly fathers or father figures in our lives – thank you. Thank you for being there for us when we needed you. Thanks for wanting to share life and life lessons with us. Most of all, thanks for loving us.
The image above is of my dad. As you can see, he had his own style and we all loved him for it. I look forward to the return of Jesus, where I will have a chance to see my dad again AND we all will have the chance to see our loving Father.
Happy Father’s Day (a special thanks to Sonora Smart Dodd)