Honor Thy Father on His Special Day, Sunday, June 19

By Krishan Gupta

HOUSTON: 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. This earliest record of Father’s Day found in the ruins of Babylon, shows that Father Day has been celebrated for centuries. No one knows what happened to Elmusu or his father, but the tradition of having a special day honoring fathers has continued through the years in countries across the world.

In more recent times, the idea for Father’s Day began in 1909 in Spokane, Washington when Sonora Smart Dodd thought of it while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon. She was raised by her father Henry Jackson Smart after the death of her mother and wanted her father to know how special he was in her life. He was selfless, caring, courageous and loving man. He was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration on the 19th of June, 1910 as a token of love and gratitude for her beloved father.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day and in 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father’s Day. People honor their father and express gratitude for their love, strengthen the bond, and affection on Father’s Day and pay tribute to grandfathers, fathers-in-law, stepfathers, foster fathers, uncles or men who play a fatherly role in their lives.

Father’s Day celebration is also the latest concept in India, highly influenced by the US celebrations expressing gratitude for fathers and to instill noble values and principles in children to pay due respect to their elders and understand the importance of family at large.

The journey of fatherhood provides unique and lasting joys. Cradling a baby in his arms, a father experiences the miracle of life and an unbreakable bond between them. They play a unique and irreplaceable part in the lives of their children and pass along values that help children grow into responsible adults. By providing their children with a positive example, fathers give them the necessary foundation to make wise decisions throughout their lives.

The majority of us have grown up listening to our father’s “golden” advice. Though some of us did not like hearing it in our childhood, we find their value in later stages of life. Fathers, along with our mothers, are our first teachers, coaches, role models, and advisors. They help us grow into adults, consoling us in times of need and that remain forever with the children to guide them at all junctures of life.

Here we are wishing all the wonderful fathers out there a perfect Father’s Day, who raised us, and thank them for their selfless dedication and love.  May you be blessed with a life of contentment, peace and happiness forever!  After all our life wouldn’t have a purpose to strive and excel without their support and secure guidance.