Fathers Day

Today is Father’s day – The origin of father’s day is attributed to a number of events and reason. But in all cases was started after mother’s day. One account was that it started in West Virginia after a deadly mine explosion that killed 361 men, many of them fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy.

It’s been my experience that mothers day isn’t a favorite day for many woman – in my ward there are a couple of woman that just will not be there – there are others that dread what some have called the perfect woman speech. But, it almost always includes the primary singing mother dear we love you so and at least one other selection.

Then theres fathers day – High Counsel Sunday.

The other day I received an e-mail among the other spam or adds.

The Husband Store

A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City,
where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:

You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the product increases as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband.

On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs.

The second floor sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.

The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.

"Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.

"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes on to the sixth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. Please leave the building.

Now before you woman get too upset – it was only a joke and was to point out that there isn’t any perfect man or women for that matter. A sad fact my wife found out along time ago is that each of us have faults or thing we can improve on.

A problem in the church and society is that there are many single parent families – most of which are fatherless. Where one individual assumes the role of both father and mother. There are times that some parents have failed to provide, protect or teach correct principles – all of which makes such days as these a little more difficult for some. Hopefully these are the exception and not the rule.

President Gordon B. Hinckley – speaking to fathers in priesthood meeting, but it would also apply to the woman -stated.

In terms of your happiness, in terms of the matters that make you proud or sad, nothing—I repeat, nothing—will have so profound an effect on you as the way your children turn out

God bless you, dear fathers. May He bless you with wisdom and judgment, with understanding, with self-discipline and self-control, with faith and kindness and love? And may He bless the sons and daughters who have come into your homes, that yours may be a fortifying, strengthening, guiding hand as they walk the treacherous path of life. Such is my humble prayer.

What a wonderful prayer or hope for any of us. I think that what he said is true, concerning our happiness, those that we love the most -including our children or spouse have a huge impact on our happiness.

That is one reason that some people have a hard time with these special days, as they believe they have failed and their children aren’t turning out as planned. I’m sure they can relate to Alma the Elder –

Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities. (Mosiah 27:8)

Can you imagine the anxiety that this caused his parents – Alma his father, I imagine had been a good father and a righteous example. He may have even had thoughts of inadequacy as parent and wondered what he had done wrong.

But his parenting stills didn’t replace one of the greatest gifts we have been given – that of free-agency. Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah – had the right to choose whom or what they would server. Despite their choice their parents and friend didn’t give up.

Now the answers to our prayers aren’t often answered but an appearance of an angel – but it was in this case.

And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith. (Mosiah 27:14)

This prayer was answered – I’m sure not the first time that it was uttered. It got so bad that they began to destroy the church. Then the answer was to be final – to repent or be destroyed.

Our key is to do all that we can and then pray for the intervention of God, but never give up on those that we love. We must always try to be the example or give those whom we love every opportunity to have a righteous pattern to follow.

President Spencer W. Kimball – quoted Walter MacPeek in saying

(Young people) need lots of heroes like Lincoln and Washington. But they also need to have some heroes close by. They need to know some (people) of towering strength and basic integrity, personally. They need to meet them on the street, to hike and camp with them, to see them in close-to-home, everyday, down-to-earth situations; to feel close enough to them to ask questions and to talk things over man-to-man with them.”

This should be the goal of every parent, grandparent and youth leader. To be that kind of individual, to those whom they love and serve.

It’s only fitting that on father’s day – I speak about my father. He is my hero. He had e very reason to be bitter or selfish – nothing was more important to him than his family.

Like Nephi, I was born of goodly parents. On more than one occasion I have said that if I mess up my life – it is not heir fault but my own.

President Kimball

We all need heroes to honor and admire; we need people after whom we can pattern our lives. For us Christ is the chiefest of these. “What manner of men ought ye to be?” he asked his Nephite disciples. His answer, “Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (3 Ne. 27:27.) Christ is our pattern, our guide, our prototype, and our friend. We seek to be like him so that we can always be with him. In a lesser degree the apostles and prophets who have lived as Christ lived also become examples for us.

The Savior is the ultimate example – he should be our guide. We should each learn his teaching and ways, then our direction and goals become clear. Every thing that the Savior did was in the service of others and for the salvation of mankind. Just think about what the world would be like if that is the patter that we were to follow.

President Kimball cont.

We are concerned, brethren, with our need to provide continually significant opportunities for our young (people) to stretch their souls in service. (They) do not usually become inactive in the Church because they are given too many significant things to do. No young (person) who has really witnessed for (themselves) that the gospel works in the lives of the people will walk away from (their) duties in the kingdom and leave them undone.

Only a Dad

… But the Best of Men.
Only a dad, with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race;
Bringing little of gold and fame
To show how well he has played the game,
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come home and to hear his voice.

Only a dad, of a brood of four,
One of ten million men or more,
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and scorns of life
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd,
Toiling, striving, from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way;
Silent, whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad, but he gives his all
To smooth the way for his children small;
Doing, with courage stern and grim,
The deeds that his father did for him.
These are the lines that for him I pen;
Only a dad, but the best of men.
(Author Unknown. Source Book of Poetry, Al Bryant, comp.; Grand Rapids, Zondewan Publishing House, 1968.)