FATHER'S DAY THIS SUNDAY

[Stan]

In many countries, Sunday June 19th is Fathers Day.

Tell us about your Father.

[Guest]

Father Forgets by W. Livingston Larned

Listen, son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily I came to your bedside.

These are the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.

At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, "Good-bye, Daddy!" and I frowned, and said in reply, "Hold your shoulders back!"

Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came up the road I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before your boy friends by marching you ahead of me to the house. Stockings were expensive - and if you had to buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that , son, from a father!

Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how you came in, timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption, you hesitated at the door. "What is it you want?" I snapped.

You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither. And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs.

Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What has habit been doing to me? The habit of finding fault, of reprimanding--this was my reward to you for being a boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too much of youth. It was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years.

And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your character. The little hurt of you was as big as the dawn itself owver the wide hills. This was shown by your instantaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good-night. Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed!

It is a feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: "He is nothing but a boy - a little boy!"

I am afraid I have visualized you as a man. Yet as I see you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother's arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much.

[Guest]

Cats in the Cradle

by Harry Chapin

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A child arrived just the other day,

He came to the world in the usual way.

But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.

He learned to walk while I was away.

And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,

He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.

You know I'm gonna be like you."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then.

You know we'll have a good time then."

My son turned ten just the other day.

He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play.

Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today,

I got a lot to do." He said, "That's ok."

And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed,

Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah.

You know I'm gonna be like him."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then.

You know we'll have a good time then."

Well, he came from college just the other day,

So much like a man I just had to say,

"Son, I'm proud of you. Can you sit for a while?"

He shook his head, and he said with a smile,

"What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys.

See you later. Can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then, dad.

You know we'll have a good time then."

I've long since retired and my son's moved away.

I called him up just the other day.

I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind."

He said, "I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time.

You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu,

But it's sure nice talking to you, dad.

It's been sure nice talking to you."

And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,

He'd grown up just like me.

My boy was just like me.

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then, dad.

You know we'll have a good time then."

[Guest]

Malachi 4

"5": Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

"6": And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

[Fran]

When I was 2, my parents split. I saw my birth father maybe 4 times until he had a stroke and asked for us to care for him. We did. He was an alcoholic all of his life. He never had the capacity to love anyone or anything else.

The only Father I have known is my Heavenly Father. He is my real Father. He loves me and accepts me for the person he is today still molding into what He wants me to be.

God did bless me in that I was able to pray with my earthly father and he acknowledged his accepting Christ as his Saviour and could not speak, but he mumbled a sinner’s prayer of repentance and the acceptance of Christ as his Saviour. I was able to forgive him for his past treatment of not just me, but my siblings and mother.

In fact, my mother went and prayed with and for him. He was on a feeding tube, but they allowed my mother to feed him some runny pumpkin pudding. He held her hand and cried. She forgave him. So did my siblings. 2 months later he died.

Yes, my real Heavenly Father is my example for daily living. He cares for me for my own good. Many times I must accept that through faith because He does not allow me to see the future. That is good, because if I knew much of what I know now, I would run for the hills!

[ChildofChrist]

When my son was growing up, his work-a-holic dad was acting the same as in the song "Cats in the Cradle"

by Harry Chapin. Junior heard the song and reflected that his dad was like that in the song.

Today though, they have a pretty good relationship as dear old dad saw the errors of his ways.

Funny thing is, Junior and I had the tight relationship as he was growing up, that was until he got a wife and then I filed for divorce. Nuff said.

My Dad was human and made mistakes but, he was the best possible Dad for me. I miss him, a lot.

[:"blue"] Happy Father's Day, ya'll [/]

[Dr. Shane]

My father left my mom when I was quite young so I had a string of father figures <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> He came back in my life when I was 19 and I honored him until he passed away some 6 years later.

Yet as an adult I have grown closer to Jesus and He has become the father I never had. I have an older friend in the town where I went to college who is kind of like a father figure. I named my son after him and we speak on the phone at least twice each week. He is retired now but as a janitor at my college he showed me that it is the man that brings honor to a job and not a job that brings honor to a man.

I try to spend as much time with my children as I can. Today's society helps a lot as fathers are expected to spend time with their kids. That helps many of us get the time off from work we need to be the fathers that we should.

BTW: Father's day in Latin America is June 17.

[Liz]

My dad never told me he loved me. He grew up in an era where that wasn't done. But I remember he would take me fishing--actually he let me drive the boat while he and mom were trolling, when I had a school function--he was there, when my car broke down--he fixed it. After I got married and had kids, he now takes them fishing, he put up a tire horse in a tree for my daughter, he plays cowboys and Indians with my son. He has made all of his granddaughters a hope chest when they turned 13. My daughter is only 6--and has him wrapped around her finger--he made her a miniature one that can be used as a jewelry box--for special treasures. He made my son, who is 9, one that is bigger than his sisters' yet smaller than a hope chest, looks like an army foot locker--he is the only grandson with one. He made me a deep deacons bench and a set of shelves that holds knick-knacks.

No, my dad never told me he loved me--he showed me. I love my dad and am very proud of him.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the "real" dad's.

Liz

[Amelia]

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[Naomi]

My father was always there when things were the most difficult. We all have various aspects of our personalities. My Dad was a very public figure, quick to respond... sometimes with strong emotion.

However, when things were really difficult, he was without exception, calm and logical. Many times when I was most concerned about talking to him concerning a sensitive issue, he would without judgement, reduce the issue in question to it's most elementary level. His love, advice and consistency were not always accepted or appreciated. Amazing, now that he is gone, they are missed!

Daddy made me feel like I could do anything , or perhaps I should say must do whatever was necessary at the time. I really didn't like having to always be strong

In retrospect, it reminds me of our Father in Heaven, sometimes it seems he expects more than we are humanly capable of dealing with. Yet, the Comforter is with us always.

How nice it would be to, once again, put my hand into Daddy's big strong hand and walk and talk. Or, to hear his voice say, "I love you, Sis."

To all of you fathers, Happy Father's Day. Remember, like all great men, you may not be fully appreciated until you are no longer able to take your child's hand and walk & talk. Just keep telling them how important they are and that you love them ... unconditionally <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/sparkleheart.gif" alt="" />

[Bravus]

I feel very deeply for all those of you in this thread who have reported your physically or emotionally absent fathers, and pray that you'll feel our Heavenly Daddy's presence in your lives.

My daughters were asked to do a tribute to their Dad at church yesterday and I missed it because I'm away at a conference (again). They sent me the PowerPoint presentation they made, which made me feel good. They compared my various qualities to the parts of a hamburger (!) and also said I was 'reconcisive'. I think it's a word they coined (but not a bad one for an 11 year old!) that means I work for reconciliation...

My own dad was kind of the strong silent type when I was growing up - that is, he loves to talk, but about stuff, not relationships and emotions. He's opened up a lot more later in life, but the way I knew he loved me was that he'd always fix my bike or do things with me, even when he was tired from shift work. I really value the fact that he's a very strong, masculine man - he worked for years heaving massive 44 gallon (200 L) drums of stuff around in a factory - but also one of the kindest, gentlest men I know. I aspire to those same qualities.