Celebrating Fathers

According to Wikipedia, Father’s Day was first celebrated in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910, by Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father was the civil war veteran William Jackson Smart, who was a single parent that raised his six children.

Thanks to the loving daughter, Sonora Smart Dodd, we have a day to acknowledge the important role played by the father.

I lost my father more than 30 years ago. I was a recent college graduate when my father’s 11 year, valiantly fought, battle with cancer finally ended. My father was my sun and my moon and his loss left a gaping whole in my heart.

My Dad taught me the importance of working hard, the beauty of family and the fact that being a girl should never hold me back. He made me laugh every day and taught me to never, ever give up. He was my biggest cheerleader and my staunchest critic and he never gave up on me – which admittedly at times must have been an incredibly difficult task.

Not a day goes by when I don’t think about him in some small way. Whether it’s watching my husband walk out the door to play a round of golf and knowing how much my Dad loved golf, or catching a glimpse of one of my kids and seeing my father’s eyes in theirs.

I’d like to think my Dad would be proud of my life and my choices (most of them at least). I know he would have adored my kids, enjoyed my husband and celebrated our family. So today, let’s shine a positive spotlight on the power and importance of fathers – those that are here with us, those that are in our hearts and those that stepped in and stepped up to the job.