Happy Father’s Day

I'm seein' my father in me

I guess that's how it's meant to be

And I find I'm more and more like him each day

I notice I walk the way he walks

I notice I talk the way he talks

I'm startin' to see my father in me

And I'm happy to see my father in me

By Diane Forrest

My husband loved to listen to Paul Overstreet every time we went somewhere in the car.  There was one particular song he was fond of; it was called seeing my Father in Me.  His father was a Baptist Preacher.  He worked hard during the week at Coca Cola Bottling Co. and did many side jobs too. On Sunday's he could be found delivering sermons at his church, and the evenings would find him visiting the sick, and members of his congregation.  My husband was so proud of his father, and wanted to emulate him as much as possible.  I never had the pleasure of meeting this man, but heard many wonderful stories about him, and saw many pictures.  Every time Paul Overstreet song came on, my husband would ask me if I thought he looked like his dad.  While I didn't see much of a resemblance, I know that he would have been proud of the man my husband had become.

Today is Father's Day.  It was first celebrated in 1910, as a compliment to Mother's day, which was celebrated in May.  In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day.  Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

Father's day hold's the record as the most collect calls made, however with the phone plans available today, collect calls are a thing of the past.  Father's Day has not received the glory that Mother's day had found.

I was fortunate to be blessed with a wonderful father; he is smart, funny and admired by many.  He worked long and hard to provide for his family, and we never wanted or needed anything.  His work kept him away from home, birthdays, and special occasions like sporting activities or school events, but his work responsibilities made it possible to provide a roof over our heads and food in our mouths, and clothes on our backs, and it was more important for him to make these sacrifices for our well being.

Today is a day to salute all the father's.  If your father was a part of your life, let him know how much you appreciate him.  If your father is no longer in your life, make an important man in your like your honorary father for the day.  It may be a relative, neighbor or friend, but let him know what an important part he plays in your life, and to all the father's out there, and especially to my daddy...Happy Father's Day!!!

Me and my Dad!

A Tribute to Christopher Scott Kyle

By Terry Orr

Thank you Chris for your service to country in and out of uniform – helping others came naturally to you and we are all better because you care for your follow man.

Last night, while relaxing in my recliner, I watched the video of Chris Kyle service in Cowboy Stadium in Dallas, Texas.  Four tissues, two hours and with a heavy heart later – my wife and I talked about just how special Chief (Seal) Chris Kyle life was to so many.

Kyle paired with FITCO Cares Foundation, a non-profit organization which created the Heroes Project to provide free in-home fitness equipment, individualized programs, personal training, and life-coaching to in-need veterans with disabilities, Gold Star families, or those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

His book – “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History” is available at Amazon and other book stores. 

Farewell shipmate and may God watch over you and your family.

Happy Father's Day

I'm seein' my father in me

I guess that's how it's meant to be

And I find I'm more and more like him each day

I notice I walk the way he walks

I notice I talk the way he talks

I'm startin' to see my father in me

And I'm happy to see my father in me

By Diane Forrest

My husband loved to listen to Paul Overstreet every time we went somewhere in the car.  There was one particular song he was fond of, it was called Seeing my Father in Me.  His father was a Baptist Preacher.  He worked hard during the week at Coca Cola Bottling Co. and did many side jobs too. On Sunday's he could be found delivering sermons at his church, and the evenings would find him visiting the sick, and members of his congregation.  My husband was so proud of his father, and wanted to emulate him as much as possible.  I never had the pleasure of meeting this man, but heard many wonderful stories about him, and saw many pictures.  Every time Paul Oversstreets song came on, my husband would ask me if I thought he looked like his dad.  While I didn't see much of a resemblance, I know that he would have been proud of the man my husband had become.

(Google Image) 

Today is Father's Day.  It was first celebrated in 1910, as a compliment to Mother's day which was celebrated in May.  In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day.  Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

Father's day hold's the record as the most collect calls made, however with the phone plans available today, collect calls are a thing of the past.  Father's Day has not received the glory that Mother's day had found.  I heard a story once by Jerry Clower, he was a Southern Comedian who visited my church one Sunday.  He was explaining to the congregation the difference between being involved and committed.  To demonstrate his point he used the illustration of breakfast, and the part that the pig and chicken played in preparing the meal. He explained that the chicken was involved with breakfast, it laid the eggs, however the pig was really committed to the breakfast, because it gave its life so that we could have bacon.  That is how most of the world views mothers and fathers.  Some fathers are just involved in the child rearing process.

(Google Image)

I am fortunate to be blessed with a wonderful father; he is smart, funny and admired by many.  He worked long and hard to provide for his family, and we never wanted or needed anything.  His work kept him away from home, birthdays, and special occasions like sporting activities or school events, but his work responsibilities made it possible to provide a roof over our heads and food in our mouths, and clothes on our backs, and it was more important for him to make these sacrifices for our well-being.

(Google Image)

There are many men today who shirk their family responsibilities.  I was reading an article not too long ago about a man, 33 years old, who has 30 children, and was asking the court for help to lower his child support payments.  Some of his children only received a dollar and a half per month.  You can read that story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/18/desmond-hatchett-30-kids_n_1528850.html

This man is not a father, but a baby making machine.   Any man can make a baby, but it takes a special man to be a father.  My son's father and I separated before he was born.  I worried for many years about the affects it would have on my son.  Luckily, I moved in with my parents, so he was always around my father, then when I remarried, he had a wonderful stepfather to guide him.  I also had him involved in many church activities so he had many male role models surrounding him.   When he turned 16, I asked all the men who had been active in his life to write a letter to him, giving him advice for the future.  I put them all in a book, and he still reads them through from time to time.

(Google Image)

Today is a day to salute all the father's.  If your father was a part of your life, let him know how much you appreciate him.  If your father is no longer in your life, make an important man in your like your honorary father for the day.  It may be a relative, neighbor or friend, but let him know what an important part he plays in your life, and to all the father's out there, and especially to my daddy, Happy Father's Day!!!

Remembering my Dad

By Akindman,

Today would have been Dad's 86th birthday - as usual, I will celebrate this day with fond memories of all those wonderful things we shared, lessons learned, doing things together, like playing cards and fishing - but most of all - I miss our Tuesday evening phone calls..

He is still with me in spirit each day - sometimes I believe that I am seeing things through his eyes.  

I seldom miss an opportunity to tell my children and grandchildren about him and some of those interesting and fun things we did and life's lessons  - as it should be.

His path in life was not an easy one by any means - yet his dedication to his family, friends, co-workers, and community were steadfast.  He led by example - he would help you learn new skills, coach and encourage you to do new and different things.  I write that with a smile - his lesson about swimming - was to tossed us into the lake.  Yep, that's right - and yes we all made it back to the pier. Afterwards, he did help us learn how to swim freestyle, dog-paddle, and to tread water.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Father's Day 2011

by Diane Forrest

Today we honor and celebrate our Fathers, for without them, we wouldn't be here.  Here are some interesting facts about the origin of this day, in case you are ever on Jeopardy.  While sitting in church listening to the minister preach about Mother's Day, Sonora Dodd got to thinking about her daddy, a Civil War veteran.  He was left to care for his 6 children when his wife died during childbirth.  Wanting to have a celebration in his and all father's honor, she enlisted the help of her pastor and the YMCA of Spokane, Washington to spread the word.  She suggested the date of June 5, since that was her father's birthday, but since the ministers needed more time to prepare, the date was pushed back to the 19th.  The first Father's day was then celebrated on June 19, 1910, and Sonora went through the town in a horse drawn carriage delivering baskets to all the shut in fathers.

Sonora Dodd (Google image)

Making Father's day a national holiday was not an easy task.  It was turned down twice by Congress, fearing it would just become commercialized.  Many people saw it as the first step in filling the calendar with mindless promotions.  In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to give a speech at a Father's Day celebration.  In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended it be recognized, but didn’t issue a proclamation.  In 1966, a proclamation was finally issued by President Lyndon Johnson, and was signed into law by President Nixon in 1972 making Father's day a national holiday to be observed the third Sunday in June.

Most dads I know don't really go for all the fanfare and hoopla surrounding Father's day, they would much rather spend the day napping on the couch, or fishing in the lake.  I have always been a "Daddy's Girl", so I like to do a little something (even with his protests) to recognize the fact that I appreciate all he has done for me through the years and continues to do.

Diane and her father

So in honor of Father's day, if you are able, give your dad a call, card, or take him out to lunch and let him know you appreciate him. 

 According to USA Parade Magazine here are some of the 10 best and worst TV dads:

Television's Top 10 Best Dads:

10.  Ward Cleaver:  Leave it to Beaver

 9.  Howard Cunningham:  Happy Days

 8.  Cliff Huxtable:  The Cosby Show

 7.  Danny Tanner:  Full House

 6.  Steve Douglas:  My Three Sons

 5.  Dan Conner:  Roseanne

 4.  Andy Taylor:  The Andy Griffith Show

 3.  Captain Stubbing:  The Love Boat

 2.  Mike Brady:  The Brady Bunch

 1.   Jim Anderson:  Father Knows Best

Television's Top 10 Worst Dads:

1.  Don Draper:  Mad Men

2.  Al Bundy:  Married with Children

3.  Joe McCoy:  Friday Night Lights

4.  Tony Soprano:  The Sopranos

5.  Frank Barone:  Everybody loves Raymond

6.  William van der Woodson:  Gossip Girl

7.  Thatcher Grey:  Grey's Anatomy

8.  Frank Costanza:  Seinfeld

9.  Dan Scott:  One Tree Hill

10.  Anthony Cooper:  Lost