Every year certain holidays come around. Most of us know where the big ones came from such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, etc. But some of the less commercialized holidays have more humble beginnings. Father’s Day came about because of the efforts of a daughter who wanted to honor her dad.
Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington was inspired to create the holiday after hearing a sermon at church about the newly instituted Mother’s Day. Her father had raised his family alone after his wife died giving birth to his 6th child. In 1909 Sonora enlisted the help of the Spokane Ministerial Association and arranged for a celebration of fatherhood in her hometown. On June 19, 1910, young members of the YMCA went to church wearing roses: a red rose to honor a living father, and a white rose to honor a deceased one. Sonora rode through town in a horse-drawn carriage, carrying gifts to shut-in fathers.
It took several years to make the holiday official. While Mother’s Day was lauded with praise, Father’s Day was often met with laughter. After several attempts through Congress, it was President Lyndon Johnson who issued the first proclamation honoring fathers. And in 1972 President Richard Nixon signed a bill finally making Father’s Day an official holiday. Father’s Day is celebrated in 55 countries and in many different ways in those countries.
In the United States we honor our fathers on the third Sunday in June. But we should honor them everyday. The love and care of parents is special. And there is another father we should remember on this special day as well, our Heavenly Father. He is there to listen to our joys and our grief. He is infinitely patient with our mortal stumbles. He loves us with out qualification. So this year in addition to celebrating your earthly father, take a moment to honor your Heavenly Father and thank Him for all your blessings. Give Him the gift of recommitting yourself to doing all you can to come back to Him.
This is a lovely reminder of why we honor each other – but most especially our Father’s in June. Some of us have done without our fathers for many years – I haven’t seen mine in 40 years as he died when I was 15. So I spent years looking for others whom I thought had great qualities and sort of got to pull from many people a sort of an amalgam of a “father” which served as a substitute for the dad that couldn’t be here right now! I do look forward to seeing him again on the other side of the veil one day, and I hope he’ll be proud of me!
This is a relative of mine! Every year I have read and seen pictures posted about this amazing woman and her desire to honor her father. I am so honored tobe her relative and enjoy these stories.
I especially appreciate the last paragraph. Thank you so much.
Thanks to Sonora Smart Dodd for instigating an official day to honor our fathers. I have been blessed with a wonderful father and am proud to honor him.
Thank you for the wonderful history…we need to honor father’s day the same way we honor mother’s day. Everyday we should do that and especially our father in heaven.