We celebrated Mother's last month and now it’s time for our fathers! Fun Fact: Father’s Day was inaugurated in the United States in the early 20th century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fathers, fathering and fatherhood. Father's Day was founded in Spokane, Washington, at the YMCA in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd, who was born in Arkansas. Last month I wrote about mothers and today I wanted to honor our fathers. Maybe some of you don't celebrate this holiday for whatever reason that may be, but if you do, I implore you to reach out to your dad, grandpa, uncle, pastor or whoever it was that played a fatherly role in your life.
Recently I was on a LIVE and the host posed a question to the crowd watching. That question was, which day is of more importance to you, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day? And to the host’s surprise, most of the people responded that Mother’s Day was more important to them. It shocked the host to see so many men chime in that Mother’s Day was more important. I blame this response on the many men who were forced out of the homes of their children by the government. Prior to 1968 if a mother needed welfare assistance and she had a man in the house she was denied help. Now that law was changed in 1969 but how many of those fathers got the memo? The mandate was already handed down and thus enforced.
How do you celebrate someone who wasn't there when you needed them? It’s so easy for those of us who grew up without our fathers in our homes to hold on to bitterness and unforgiveness, but that was in the past. How many of us really know the true story of why our parents did not make it together? And let’s face it, not everyone who is able to have kids is equipped to be a father. And if you’re someone like me, whose father was only sixteen when I was born, I couldn't have expected him to become an instant father when he was only just becoming a teenager. We shouldn't hold on to what happened, instead we should focus on what is happening now in present times. We can't change what happened in the past, but we can work on the present to make a better future.
From what I've heard from fathers, they are happy if their families are happy. Dads do not need a huge celebration to honor them, but it is nice to know that their family sees all that they do and appreciates them. So, I ask that you pause for a moment and celebrate the men in your life who play that fatherly role. I am sure there is someone in your life, or the life of your children if you have any who deserves to be treated extra special today.
And a huge shout out to the GOAT, Tupac Shakur! He would have been 53 today had he not been gunned down! Happy Birthday in Heaven!
Sending you love, light and positive vibes,
Cassie K.
"Always remember to LIVE life to the fullest, to LAUGH at everything and to LOVE unconditionally!"
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