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Father
Friday, June 17,
2005
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It is only fitting that I dedicate this e-mail to everyone who is a father, knows a
father, has a father or wants to be a father. That should cover all of us.
When I think of Father's Day, I used to think of my
own father. Now that I am married and have children of my own, I also think of my husband and
all of the times we've shared together parenting as "Father and
Mother" -- Parents in unity--both searching for answers and finding so much joy.
Father's Day brings to mind so many ideas of
"father"--Da-Da, Daddy, Father, Pop, Old Man, Father of our Country, Father Sky, Big
Daddy, Daddy-O, Father Time, Holy Father and don't for Thomas Jefferson-Father of Invention.
Maybe your father has a little bit of all of them, rolled into one nice package.
Growing up, I always thought my dad was the
"bomb", so cool and so funny--and the source of "stuff". As an
adult, I feel the same way but hold so much more respect for him as I parent my own
children. How patient our parents were to put up with our "childhood" and all its'
phases, wouldn't you say? No matter what kind of relationship you share with your father, he
is still, Dad!
Father's are usually guys who get up early every day
(I see it in my own husband), go to work-without complaining, bring home the bacon, cut the grass,
take out the trash and kill the spiders. The unsung heros in our lives I pay tribute to all
of them with a little "Father" knowledge sharing:
We pay respects to fathers of our lives, fathers of
our town and nation, fathers of ideals and ideas, and in the realm of nature people have spoken of
"Sun Father," but the grandest of them all is "Father Sky."
Most of us are probably aware that Native Americans pay reverent respects to Father Sky, but they are not alone in this tradition. The
ancient Greeks referred to Father Sky as the second of the gods to emerge out of chaos. First came
Gaea, deep-breasted Mother Earth, then Uranus, Father
Sky. From the union of this pair came all the gods of Mount Olympus, and eventually people.
If we think about it, it is easy to see what lies behind these concepts. All of the materials of
our bodies and our lives come from the earth which nourishes us from birth to death, and moisture
and light come from the sky to energize the children of Mother Earth.
None-the-less, the idea of referring to Earth as "Mother" and sky as "Father" seems primitive to some people. It
is primitive in the sense of going far back in time, but it is not without complex
inspiration and insight.
Old Father
Time
Chronos (also known as
Chronus) is the personification of time itself. Indeed, the word means
"time" and is the root of "chronology" and other modern
words. It was, however, originally employed in a purely poetic sense. There is no God or
Goddess directly associated with time per se in the annals of Greek mythology, but there may
have been a Titan of Time.
Saturn (referred to by the Greeks
as Cronus or Kronos) was the Roman Deity of Time and an ancient Italian Corn God known as the
Sower.
Male ruler of the Roman Gods prior to Jupiter, Saturn's weapon was a
scythe or sickle. The Romans honored Saturn at a MidWinter festival called
Saturnalia, which lasted several days and at which there was much feasting and making merry.
His functions were concerned with agriculture and his festival, held in Attica
and known as Kronia, resembled the Roman Saturnalia in that it was a celebration of the
harvest. In art, Saturn has always been depicted as a old man holding an
implement which has often been interpreted as a harpe or curved sword, but which appears
likely to have actually represented a scythe or a sickle. (Source:
www.Novareinna.com)
George Washington was a Federalist and the 1st
President of the United States, born February 22, 1732 (Some historians note
that Washington was actually born on February 11th.When the British Parliament replaced the
Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar in 1752, his birth date moved to February 22).
Birthplace: Westmoreland County, Virginia
Education: No formal education
Married: Martha Dandridge Custis, 1759
Age at First Inuguration: 57
Previous Occupations: Surveyor, soldier, planter
Died: December 14, 1799; age 67
Place of Burial: Mount Vernon, VA (Source:
www.Jeannepasero.com)
This Father's Day you may think of neckties and b-b-q's or fishing with
pop. I think of Dave the painter, Larry the fisherman, Lee the golfer and Tom the
love of my life-- forever in my heart.
"My daddy wears his supersuit and is cool." Logan
Aldrich, 2
"My daddy is funny and good at basketball." Ryan Aldrich,
7
"My daddy loves chocolate cake, like me."
Enjoy the Day,
Beth Aldrich
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