~ Happy Father's Day ~

The Strength of a Man

(Author Unknown)
The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders.

----It's seen in the width of his arms that circle you.

The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice.

----It's in the gentle words he whispers.

The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.

----It's how good a buddy he is with his kids.

The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.

----It's in how respected he is at home.

The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.

----It's in how tender he touches.

The strength of a man isn't in the hair on his chest.

----It's in his heart...that lies within his chest.

The strength of a man isn't how many women has loved.

----It's in how he can be true to one woman.

The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.

----It's in the weights he can lift off of others.

FATHERS' DAY HISTORY

Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day."

She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.

After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

If you're lucky enough to still have your father around...tell him how much you love him.