Father’s Day is a holiday in honor of fatherhood and paternal bonds.  When attending church on Mother’s Day in 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd, who was raised with her 5 brothers by her father alone, conceived of the idea of establishing a day in celebration of fathers.  In the US the day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June.  Predating the US day in honor of fathers, the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages established St. Joseph’s Day to honor the first father of the Church as well as all fathers.

Some great literary quotes about fathers:

Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later… that the man before him was not an ageing father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life

Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them.  In doing so, he really stands in their place.  He is not an isolated individual, but incorporates the selves of several people in his own self.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A father is the one friend upon whom we can always rely.  In the hour of need, when all else fails, we remember him upon whose knees we sat when children, and who soothed our sorrows; and even though he may be unable to assist us, his mere presence serves to comfort and strengthen us.

Emile Gaboriau, File No. 113

I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us.  We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.

Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum


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 7 years.

Mark Twain

Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them.  They move on.  They move away.  The moments that used to define them – a mother’s approval, a father’s nod – are covered by moments of their own accomplishments.  It is not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories, and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.

Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet In Heaven

It is a wise father who knows his own child.

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

And some of the best dad’s in literature, according to readers polled by BookBub include Atticus Finch from “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Matthew Cuthbert from “Anne of Green Gables,” and Arthur Weasley from the “Harry Potter” book series. And great TV dads include Danny Tanner from “Full House,” Philip Banks from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” James Evans from “Good Times,” Gomez Addams from “The Addams Family,” Jason Seaver from “Growing Pains,” Carl Winslow from “Family Matters,” Mike Brady from “The Brady Bunch,” and Ward Cleaver from “Leave it to Beaver” among many others.

I’m your father.  It is my job to protect you.  It’s a job I refuse to quit, and at which I can’t afford to fail.

Philip Banks, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Well, just remember when children seem the least lovable, it means they need love the most.

Danny Tanner, Full House

Who are some of your favorite literary, movie, and TV fathers?

So what would a Father’s Day blog be without some dumb dad jokes?  Thankfully from my kids perspective, I didn’t riddle them with dumb dad jokes too often over the years, but I would occasionally tell one or two, usually to the rolling of eyes and lack of the full enthusiasm and laughs that they deserved to engender.  I remember while waiting in the car with my daughter when stumbling upon this gem on Facebook.  I thought it was so funny that I was almost laughing too hard to even tell it to my daughter.  She was less than humored – it still baffles me why:

Did you hear about the cow that jumped over the barbed wire fence?  It was udder destruction.

I since tracked down more dad cow jokes, including some of my favorites:

What happens when you try talking to a cow?  Everything just goes in one ear and out the udder.

What does the farmer talk about while milking a cow?  Udder nonsense.

What do you call a sad cow?  Moo-dy.

What do you call a cow that can’t make milk?  A milk dud.

How do you make a cow be quiet?  Press the moo-te button.

Why did the cow cross the road?  To get to the udder side.

Where do cows get all the medicine?  The farmacy!

What do you call it when one cow spies on another?  A steak-out.

Knock knock.  Who’s there?  Cows go.  Cows go who?  No, silly, cows go MOO!

And if we’re going to talk dad jokes, Men’s Health dedicated an entire article to them. Here are some of my favorites:

What does a baby computer call his father?  Data.

I only seem to get sick on weekends.  I must have a weekend immune system.

Which days are the strongest?  Saturday and Sunday.  The rest are weekdays.

My friend was showing me his tool shed and pointed to a ladder.  “That’s my stepladder,” he said.  “I never knew my real ladder.”

Did you know that the first French fries weren’t cooked in France?  They were cooked in Greece.

People in Athens rarely get up before sunrise.  Dawn is tough on Greece.

I asked by date to meet me at the gym but she never showed up.  I guess the two of us aren’t going to work out.

Never date a tennis player.  Love means nothing to them.

What’s Forrest Gump’s password?  1forrest1

What do you call a bundle of hay in a church?  Christian Bale

Have you heard about the restaurant on the moon?  Great food, no atmosphere.

I don’t get why bakers aren’t wealthier.  They make so much dough.

I hate it when people say age is only a number.  Age is clearly a word.

And while it took me a few seconds to “get” these two, they are pretty funny:

I just found out I’m colorblind.  It came out of the purple.

I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon.  I’ll let you know.

The beginning of the playlist contains songs with the word Father in their title.  Subsequent songs contain Son or Daughter in their titles, as they seemed fitting, given children are what make a man a father.  Several songs relate the bittersweet nature of the relationship between a father and a daughter through the years as it transitions to her leaving the home to spread her wings and fly in a life of her own.

Cinderella

She spins and she sways to whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I’m sitting here wearing the weight of the world on my shoulders
It’s been a long day and there’s still work to do
She’s pulling at me saying dad I need you
There’s a ball at the castle and I’ve been invited
And I need to practice my dancin’
Oh, please, daddy, please

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone

She says he’s a nice guy and I’d be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancin’
Oh, please, daddy, please

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh-oh-oh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone
She will be gone

But she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, dad, the wedding’s still six months away but I need to practice my dancin’
Oh, please, daddy, please

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh-oh-oh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone

STEven curtis chapman

I shot this video 2 months ago when Steven Curtis Chapman was right here in little old Bluffton, SC.  He’s such an amazing, singer, songwriter, and guitarist – a truly gifted, humble, down-to-earth, faith-filled man.  What a talent:

Butterfly Kisses

There’s two things I know for sure:
She was sent here from heaven and she’s daddy’s little girl.
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night

She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes
And I thank god for all of the joy in my life
Oh, but most of all

For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer
Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair
“Walk beside the pony, Daddy, it’s my first ride.”
“I know the cake looks funny, Daddy, but I sure tried.”
Oh, with all that I’ve done wrong, I must have done something right..

She asked me what I’m thinking and I said
“I’m not sure-I just feel like I’m losing my baby girl.”
She leaned over
Gave me butterfly kisses with her mama there
Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair
“Walk me down the aisle, Daddy-it’s just about time.”
“Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy? Daddy, don’t cry”
Oh, with all that I’ve done wrong I must have done something right.
To deserve her love every morning and butterfly kisses
I couldn’t ask God for more, man this is what love is.
I know I gotta let her go, but I’ll always remember
Every hug in the morning and butterfly kisses…

Bob carlisle

A father’s love often goes unnoticed, with much attention rightly being afforded to the love of a mother.  But the importance of fathers is often found in the significant void created by their absence.  Many songs center on the loss of a father, through death or abandonment, or the pains of a bad father – think Genesis’ “No Son Of Mine,” Journey’s “Mother, Father,” or Crystal Bowersox’ “Farmer’s Daughter,” or Kane Brown’s “For My Daughter”:

For My Daughter

Someone to play catch with, out in the backyard
To pick up the pieces of your first broken heart
Someone to say slow down when you turn sixteen
Yeah, I grew up without a dad
I’m gonna be the best one I can be

Someone to scare the monsters when it’s dark in your room
Someone to put their foot down when you want a tattoo
And not just say I love you, but show you what it means
Yeah, I grew up without a dad
I’m gonna be the best one I can be

They say dads are supposed to shape you, in a way I guess mine did
I knew what I wouldn’t do if I ever had a kid
They say history repeats itself
Well, I guess that’s up to me
Yeah, I grew up without a dad
I’m gonna be the best one I can be

kane brown

In thinking of movies with scenes of fathers with their children, these two are my favorites of a father with his son, and a father with his daughter. This scene from “Father of the Bride” just melts my heart every time I watch it:

And for any son who’s ever thrown a ball around with his father, especially if you lost your father at a younger age, this one just kills me – I cried at the theater watching this scene, I found it so moving, having lost my own father when I was 19:

I’d like to honor and express my love and thanks to inspirational father figures and role models in my own life: those already passed – my father, John, my step-father, Fred, my Uncle Bill (like a father to my mom, and a grandfather to me), my Uncle Sal, and those still alive – my step-father-in-law Bob, my friend Jim Rispoli (though more the age of an older brother to me, still an inspiring father figure in my life, especially after my father died), my brother John, who has been such a great father to his 3 boys and 2 adoptive girls, my lifelong friend Jim with his 3 great kids, and my friend Scott, one of the most amazing fathers I know, both a father and mother to his son Asher.  And of course I have to express my love forever for my children, Josh, Ryan, and Kate, who have been the center of my life for the past 3 decades, filling my days with joy, laughter, excitement, adventure, and wonder.  And last but certainly not least, my wife Regina, the woman who made me a father – to her I express my gratitude for carrying, bearing, and nurturing our 3 wonderful children.  I couldn’t be the father I am today without her by my side.

As I suggested in my Mother’s Day blog, if your dad, grandfather, or other father figure has left this world, say a special prayer, while recalling the wonderful memories of times spent together.  If you have strained or estranged relationships with the fathers in your life, try to mend them as able.  And if they are broken beyond repair, work on forgiveness or at least finding some semblance of peace and acceptance.

Now for the playlist:

I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew.  Rediscover the passion of music in your life.

Live in the moment.

Enjoy the moment.

Love the moment (and your “dads”)

Listen to the MUSIC!