Sunday, June 17, 2012

A Father's Day request

I've written all there is to say about Father's Day - please see last year's entry for a suitably comprehensive and not-altogether-positive roundup - so I'll spare you a repeat performance.

Suffice to say, not everyone fits the ideal. Not everyone has a dad. Kids lose parents, parents lose kids, life doesn't always follow a set script. And I'll admit more than a little discomfort that a holiday invented expressly to sell more greeting cards and tchatchkes can cause so much legitimate stress to those whose lives don't fit within the neat boundaries delineated by Hallmark's marketing mavens.

So here's my deal. Tomorrow's another day, as are the other 363 (or 364 in a leap year) we'll have this year. However you choose to define "family", find some way, on each of these days, to tighten your connection to each other. Don't buy a card and assume that's enough for another year, because none of this has anything to do with cards, and once-a-year is never nearly enough. Figure out ways to bake small gestures into each and every day. Figure out how to let fathers, mothers, siblings, cousins, friends, colleagues, dogs-next-door or whatever/whoever know that they matter.

None of this needs a special day. None of this needs a special anything. None of this needs to be bought.

There, I'm done.

Your turn: So, what will you be doing tomorrow?

4 comments:

Kalei's Best Friend said...

You said it well!... For me its NEVER about the card... A Hallmark holiday should not be a reminder for something we should do from the heart... Today as well as tomorrow I will be remembering my Dad and husband and what impact they had on me as well as my kids.. The small impact can be just as huge as the big ones...

Susiej said...

It's not about what you get...it's about who you are, and how you live as a Dad in every moment. Just another day, so true. And when you're a Dad - really a Dad -- the day really doesn't matter. It's something you carry all the time. And, I'm sure this day will bless you in some special way -- just because of that.

Alexia said...

Very well said.

Just Two Chicks said...

Ah! Today, I helped the in-laws unpack their new home, as they've moved less than a mile down the road from us! I don't have a dad... my kids are with their dad. So today for me, was just another day! :)