Beech Tree News Network

Next Sunday is Father’s Day. I haven’t truly celebrated the holiday since I lost my husband. My dad had died the previous year. But, we can’t over-recognize the contribution of fathers.

Many have shared their thoughts about fathers. Some of those are below (http://www.theholidayspot.com/fathersday/quotes.htm):
•    When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. --Mark Twain.
•    The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them. --Confucius
•    Becoming a father is easy enough but being one can be very rough. --Wilhelm Busch
•    You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you. --Desmond Tutu
•    A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society. --Billy Graham
•    It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was. --Anne Sexton
•    It is much easier to become a father than to be one. --Kent Nerburn
•    My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You’re tearing up the grass." "We’re not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We’re raising boys." --Harmon Killebrew
•    Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. --Elizabeth Stone

I am thankful for the man my dad was. He helped me become who I am. I am equally thankful for the man my late husband was. He loved his baby girls. And, finally, I am thankful that my sons-in-law are good and loving fathers. As we prepare to celebrate Father’s Day, let’s remember those who have been fathers or father figures in our lives and be thankful for them.