Today we celebrate Father’s Day. Most of us will
stop and reflect on personal experiences we have had with our “Fathers” and for anyone luck enough to be one, it is perhaps a time to bask in a moment of celebration. I am proud to say that my success as a father is by far the greatest achievement of my life!
The Online Etymology Dictionary on
“father” states:
Old English fæder "he who begets a child, nearest male
ancestor;" also "any lineal male ancestor; the Supreme Being,"
and by late Old English, "one who exercises parental care over
another," from Proto-Germanic *fader (source also of Old Saxon fadar, Old
Frisian feder,
Dutch vader, Old
Norse faðir, Old
High German fatar,
German vater; in
Gothic usually expressed by atta), from PIE *pəter- "father"
(source also of Sanskrit pitar-, Greek pater, Latin pater, Old Persian pita, Old Irish athir "father"), presumably from baby-speak sound
"pa." The ending formerly was regarded as an agent-noun affix.
How many
people do you know that call their father “father”? Probably not many, for it
is too formal. I prefer Dad. After all, DaD is a palindrome. If you observe him “coming or going” he looks
the same. It is my intention to look at
my two favorite Dads: one that has passed,
and one that is in the first stages of the journey.
Being
born in 1952, I grew up during the Father Knows Best years.
It was a time of growing prosperity
in America when hard working lower middle class men had the possibility of
raising the standard of living for their families. The father worked long hours and the “house
wife” stayed home and dealt with the upbringing of the children. The father was the family disciplinarian and
had the final word on all matters. It
was in this context that my relationship to my Dad was formed. Even though we didn’t spend much time
together, I knew I was loved and the necessities of life were provided for me. As a child, my fondest memories of Dad often took place on Saturday mornings when I had an opportunity to interact with him.
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| Dad holding his son "Corb", Mother at his side. |
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| Dad-Best Man at my wedding |
On
January 1, 1987, my son Simon was born.
I was 34 years old. From that day
until the present, my life has been blessed by the many interactive experiences
I have had with him. My memories are filled
with uncountable joyous moments: the first time I held him in my arms; watching
him push a toddler’s train; teaching him the basic skills of baseball; playing
catch; watching him pitch in Cooperstown; watching him achieve “the Most Valuable Player” of his high school team;
participating in his Master’s degree graduation event; being the celebrant in
his wedding; observing him develop into a responsible adult; and being present
immediately following the birth of his identical twin daughters. Thanks Bud. I love you!
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| Holding Simon on 1/1/87 |
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| Simon pitching in Cooperstown in 1999 |
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| Simon with his new born twin daughters |
As a Dad, I am doubly blessed. On November 23, 1989, Caroline Elizabeth
Robinson Woliver was born. Caroline has
enriched my life in countless ways since that day. One hears about the unique bond that exists
between a father and a daughter, and the bond that I have with Caroline is the
essence of paternal love. I retain
strong memories of snuggling with her at bedtime when she was a toddler;
playing “tickle hound” with her; watching her achieve on the soccer field and
on the volleyball court; listening to her sing at home and perform roles on the
lyric stage; dancing with her at various occasions; watching her graduate from college; observing her achievements as a loving young professional; and walking her down the aisle at her
wedding. I will never tire of her loving
hugs! Thanks Caroline[y]. I love you!
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| My "Caroliney" |
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| Caroline, front & center, in The Sound of Music |
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| Dancing with Dad |
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| Caroline at her college graduation |
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| Walking down the aisle |
Wikipedia
defines lineage as:
Lineage (anthropology), a group that can demonstrate their
common descent from an apical ancestor or a direct line of descent from an
ancestor. Lineage (evolution), a temporal sequence of individuals,
populations or species representing a continuous line of descent.
I remember what my Dad (Charles) said the day
his Dad (Ernest) died, “Today I lost my best friend.” I am blessed to remember
my Papaw Woliver. He had four sons, no daughters: E.L., Hoyt,
Charles, and Hubert. My Dad had three sons, no daughters: myself (Charles
Patrick), Kim, and Adam. I am father to
one son and one daughter: Simon and Caroline.
Simon is father to two identical twin daughters: Joy and Eva.
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| My Papaw: Ernest W. Woliver |
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| My Dad and Simon eye-to-eye |
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| Simon and I at a Brave's game |
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| Simon with his girls |
I leave you with this poem by David Lewis Paget
Father
and Son
There is
the family photograph
That is your father’s face,
There is your father’s father
Grey-gathering years apace;
The son, bright-eyed in the morning,
The father, lined and drawn,
The son became the father
On the day that you were born.
We’ve all set out on the highway
Our fathers wished us well,
The sons became the fathers
In the same distinctive spell;
The road of all beginnings
Is all there is to lend,
But many a twist, and many a turn
Has marred us at the end.
He was my father’s father,
I am my father’s son,
We’ve travelled as far, and farther
Than our father’s years have run;
The twists and turns of fortune
Mean nothing, lost or won,
But the love of a father’s father,
And the love of a father’s son.
That is your father’s face,
There is your father’s father
Grey-gathering years apace;
The son, bright-eyed in the morning,
The father, lined and drawn,
The son became the father
On the day that you were born.
We’ve all set out on the highway
Our fathers wished us well,
The sons became the fathers
In the same distinctive spell;
The road of all beginnings
Is all there is to lend,
But many a twist, and many a turn
Has marred us at the end.
He was my father’s father,
I am my father’s son,
We’ve travelled as far, and farther
Than our father’s years have run;
The twists and turns of fortune
Mean nothing, lost or won,
But the love of a father’s father,
And the love of a father’s son.
-David
Lewis Paget
Happy Father’s Day!
CPW
