Giving Rise to Life

Father's Day - June 18
​The fathers of the U.S. have a woman, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, to thank for Father’s Day. In 1910, Sonora worked hard to establish an equivalent to Mother’s Day for dads. She went to churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers, and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she succeeded. Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910. It became a national holiday in 1972.
“It is befitting that Father’s Day falls near Summer Solstice. One meaning of ‘father’ is ‘to give rise to.’ Yes, of course. Our fathers have given rise to life, to our life. And the sun, every morning, gives rise to a new day.” – Scott Awbrey
Affirmative prayer: Today, I honor the life-generating, protective essence that is present in our fathers and our father-figures. I give thanks for the goodness, the intelligence, and the love that inspires me to rise up again and again. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.

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