“I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us in odd moments, when they aren’t trying to
teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.” Umberto Eco
You can’t always arrange to have your children together in one place for Father’s Day, especially with the pandemic and other logistical concerns. But we managed pretty well. Jason treated us yesterday with take-out food from the Falafel House. For my Father’s Day gift, he presented me with a box of Antoine gourmet cookies that was launched as a Kickstarter project and delivered by Antoine to the Silicon Valley Elite including Apple, Google, Facebook and dropping them off at people’s doors. Jason knows my "sweet spot" or should I say my "guilty pleasure.” These are dangerously good. He stayed for dinner and had "Pizza My Heart" delivered and we watched “Undercover" on Netflix.
Today, Michelle, Kyle and our granddaughter Lyla arrived with lunch. Michelle had prepared a caprese salad, a yummy frittata with peppers, onion and potatoes, and bite-sized cookies. You can never have too many cookies.
Lyla wasn’t into the whole gourmet food thing today but did feast some fresh organic blueberries. Kyle and enjoyed an Allagash Belgian wheat beer. After lunch the dad’s open their presents. I got a Papa (grandpa) T-shirt from Cecile but Lyla prefers to call me “Baba." Kyle got a similar shirt with Daddy printed on it. Michelle and Kyle got me bicycle shorts. Kyle and I share a passion for bicycling. It was the perfect gift, and last but not least Lyla created a vivid, colorful painting for me. After Lyla awoke, we showed her how to waive a wand to create soap bubbles which is always entertaining for kids and adults alike.
I find it interesting how holidays are observed. The first observance of Father’s Day in
America is believed to have been held on July 5, 1908 by Gracy Clayton in West Virginia. She was mourning the
loss of her father who died in a mining accident and suggested that her pastor honor all the fathers who had perished in the accident. Two years later, in June 1910, Father’s Day began to take root across churches in Spokane, Washington. During the 1920s, enthusiasm for the event began to fade. Then in 1930 Sonora Dodd, daughter of American civil war veteran William Jackson Smart began raising awareness for Father’s Day celebration on a national level. But it wasn’t until Lyndon Johnson officially assigned a date to Father’s Day in 1966 and in 1972, Richard Nixon signed it into law as a national holiday.
