Father's Day

Shelley Sweeney
Jun 13
2 min read

Updated: Jun 14

Hi Friends:

Are you enjoying Father’s Day with significant men in your life this weekend?

I’ve always liked celebrating Father’s Day. It’s not the big deal that Mother’s Day seems to be but if you have a dear-old dad, now or once upon a time, then I assume you like celebrating Father’s Day too?

Did you know Mother’s Day became a national holiday 58 years before Father’s Day? Fifty-eight years seems like a long time for men to get their own Hallmark appreciation cards. Anna Jarvis, who initiated the first Mother's Day service of worship and celebration at Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, wouldn't appreciate my Hallmark joke. She, and others, were disappointed that it became commercialized.

President Woodrow Willson signed a proclamation in 1914 designating Mother's Day a national holiday followed by President Nixon doing the same for Father’s Day in 1972.

If you’ve ever read or stalked my blogs you know mom gets a lot of attention. So I thought I’d share a few photos and thoughts about dear-old dad. He was a dear dad. Not perfect, of course, but dear for certain.

My dad was soft-spoken and gentle. He had a few good friends, not a far-reaching social circle. He loved domesticated animals yet also hunted.

Does it seem like a contradiction to say dad was gentle and sensitive but also hunted?

Yes, he killed animals in the wild (and, yes we consumed them). But dad would never (ever) shoot down human spirit or passion.

Have you ever known someone who, on one hand would never hunt, but on the other hand would stamp-out passion and enthusiasm?