What Color Rose Will You Wear This June 20th?

Funny how we don’t appreciate things until they are gone.

This morning just one week before Fathers Day I was wondering  how Father’s Day came to be.  I always assumed it was a “manufactured” Hallmark Greeting Card Day.   However it turns out it was an inpsiration of a young girl and her love for her father.

I’ll get back to that story in a minute.

Sometimes  a dad can piss a kid off… usually when we are teenagers (we probably had another name for dad under our breath after a argument too).   Even now dads can irritate us occasionally even when we are adults.   Shoot even Ward pissed off Wally and Beaver sometimes.

We certainly had our differences on how to live life, that maybe resulted in not talking for days or… even years.  No matter, there is one thing for sure… dads everywhere deserve our respect. They are not perfect and do the best they can with what they came equiped with.

Children don’t come with user manuals, and there are as many right ways to raise a kid as there are dads.  This I do know, no matter what, I am sure there was at least one significant thing your dad said or did (or didn’t say or didn’t do) that positively impacted your life and you carry with you to this day. It could have been something seemingly insignificant at the time, but later you realized just how important it truely was,  it may have taken years to gain that perspective on just how significant.

My dad was a man of few words,

 …perhaps it was the era.   There IS one thing in particular that stands out for me that I am forever grateful for.  It is how he allowed me to make my own mistakes and figure things out for myself.  This is tough for a parent, wanting to protect their kids from making the mistakes they made growing up.

My mom tells stories about how she would say to my dad, “You should go out and help Karl, he’s really frustrated trying to (fill in the blank)”   The “fill in the blank ” usually had something to do with cars.

My dad would say to my mom, “If he comes in and asks I will help him out”.  Sometimes I WOULD ask and he would always seem to have the answer however just as many times I would keep trying until I figured it out on my own.   This was WAY before instant information on any subject on the internet too, so it might take a few days to a few weeks of making phone calls or buying and waiting for a manual to be delivered, that I found in the back of a car magazine.

Dad was teaching me (which I didnt appreciate at the time) the foundation of how to navigate through lifes ups and downs (and also everything I know about cars – when I asked of course).  The self reliance my dad fostered in me has served me well my entire life.

I never did tell my dad this before he was gone, and that I do regret.

Perhaps this fathers day, you to will think back about something that your dad did or said (or didn’t say or didnt do) that left a positive indelible mark on you and that is something you fall back on to this day.  If your dad is still here…maybe you will let him know.

OK so back to just how did fathers day became to be a nationally recognized day of observance.

Father’s Day is celebrated worldwide with an equal sincerity and respect as any other significant holidays. Here’s a short history on the holiday, and meaning of the different colors of roses to be worn that Day.

About 4,000 years ago a young boy named Elmusu wished his Babylonian father good health and a long life by carving a Father’s Day message on a card made out of clay. No one knows what happened to Elmesu or his father, but the tradition of having a special day  honoring fathers has continued through the years in countries across the world.

The Countries, where the Catholic Church were of significant influence on the culture of the society, Father’s Day is celebrated on St. Joseph’s Day (March 19). However, a more secular celebration which is not associated with any religion is followed in recent times to highlight the increased diversity among people from all over the globe coexisting together in one place.

Father’s Day is celebrated popularly on 3rd Sunday in June in many parts of the world. Ms Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Washington is credited by most historians to be the pioneer of our Fathers Day celebration. It was during a sermon in 1909 that Sonora Smart Dodd became inspired by Mother’s Day.  At the tender age of 27 , Sonora wanted to know that if there is a day to honor mothers then why not for fathers?  Sonara had a strong influence of a father figure in her own life. She felt strongly for fathers because of the affection she received from her own father Mr William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran. Sonora’s mother died during childbirth when she was just 16. Mr Smart raised the newborn and five other children with love and care.

Sonora wanted to show how thankful she was to her father and, because William was born in June, she worked hard to have the  first Father’s Day celebrated on June 19, 1910. The Spokane Ministerial Association and the local Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Spokane Washington supported Sonora’s cause and as a result Spokane celebrated its first Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.

Though there was initial hesitation the idea gained gradual popularity all over US and Fathers Day came to be celebrated in cities across the country. In 1924, President Coolidge recommended that Father’s Day become a national holiday. President Johnson designated the third Sunday of June to be Father’s Day in 1966. It was not until 1972 that President Nixon instituted Father’s Day as a national observance.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. President Nixon, in 1972, established a permanent national observance of Father’s Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father’s Day was born as a token of love and gratitude that a daughter cherishes for her beloved father.

Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: Red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

So to all the dads of the world, a tip of the hat to you this Fathers Day JUNE 20th !

Enjoy the day and do whatever the heck you feel like…you earned it!

I encourage you to comment on this post and share something that might put a smile on everyones face and a nod of appreciation.

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