"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
This special day for Dads--Father's Day--is observed on the third Sunday in June and was first celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington.
Mrs. John Bruce Dodd came up with the idea while listening to a Mother's Day sermon. She had been raised by her father, a widowed Civil War veteran and she wanted to show him how much she loved him. June was selected because it was the month of his birth.
"The heart of every child beats to the rhythm of a father's love," said writer Steve Curley.
The day for Dads was publicly supported by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed it a national holiday.
According to the Census Bureau, in 2006 there were an estimated 66.3 million fathers in the U.S. The holiday also tallies the most collect telephone calls in the year. That somehow seems appropriate since the day honors a father's unconditional love and support.
"Happiness blossoms when you help others," Albert Einstein once said, "only a life lived for others is worth living."
Celebrate a Father's love... the foundation of greatness.