For our Fathers

[Kookie]

I don't know if any of you know who Paul Harvey is. He did his radio broadcasts with “the rest of the story.” And "Page 2." and so forth. Kind of a cool old newscaster. Did stories that were like riddles. He would tell stories where you were figuring out what he was talking about until the end. I once heard this a long time ago. I was in the garage working on a car with the radio on:

Paul Harvey -- and the rest of the story...

A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth, without an anesthetic.

A father is a thing that growls when it feels good–and laughs loud when it’s scared half to death.

A father never feels entirely worthy of worship in his child’s eyes. He never is quite the hero his daughter thinks, never quite the man his son believes him to be. This worries him, sometimes, so he works too hard to try and smooth the rough places in the road for those of his own who will follow him.

A father is a thing that gets very angry when school grades aren’t as good as he thinks they should be. He scolds his son although he knows it’s the teacher’s fault.

Fathers grow old faster than other people.

And while mothers can cry where it shows, fathers stand there and beam outside–and die inside. Fathers have very stout hearts, so they have to be broken sometimes or no one would know what is inside. Fathers give daughters away to other men who aren’t nearly good enough so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anybody’s. Fathers fight dragons almost daily. They hurry away from the breakfast table, off to the arena which is sometimes called an office or a workshop…where they tackle the dragon with three heads: Weariness, Work and Monotony.

Knights in shining armor.

Fathers make bets with insurance companies about who will live the longest. Though they know the odds, they keep right on betting. Even as the odds get higher and higher, they keep right on betting more and more.

And one day they lose.

But fathers enjoy an earthly immortality and the bet is paid off to the part of him he leaves behind.

I don’t know where fathers go when they die. But I have an idea that after a good rest, he won’t be happy unless there is work to do. He won’t just sit on a cloud and wait for the girl he’s loved and the children she bore. He’ll be busy there, too…oiling the gates, smoothing the way.

You see, I would have been working on that car with my dad.

Yeah, he was oiling that gate.

Miss ya dad.

 

[NCC]

Very nice Kookie. I miss my dad too. He left too young, only 6 years older than I am now. By the time he was my age, he'd raised six kids.

And, yes, I remember Paul Harvey. "Hello Americans, I'm Paul Harvey. You know what the news is, in a minute, you're going to hear ... the rest of the story."

 

[VaporLung]

For me, fathers day is everyday with my daughter in my life.
Shes what makes this day so special.

 

[BradSmith]

Thanks, I loved it. I have been a Father and a Husband for more that half my life. I wouldn't change a thing. My oldest son is 19 and autistic so I will have a child for the rest of my life. My oldest child, my Daughter, recently made be a Grandfather. I am truly blessed.

Happy Dads, day. (and that includes all the single Moms who are also their Children's Dads)

 

[harmony gardens]

Thanks for that, Brad.

This was my first Father's Day without my Dad. I miss him, because he was my best friend. He wanted a boy, and got me. We got involved with Indian Guides, and our motto was "Pal's forever". Later, I joined Boy Scouts, and my Dad got involved with our troop. We had a '67 Ford station wagon that was just made for hauling scouts around. He was always willing to play catch with me, took me to ballgames, and we took some nice family vacations. I learned a lot helping him with a lot of the projects he was always working on around the house.

My Dad was a good man, and was a great Dad.