JUST LIKE I SHARED VINTAGE MOTHER'S DAY GREETINGS FOR MOTHER'S DAY, I THOUGHT I'D SHARE A FEW CARDS I FOUND ONLINE REGARDING FATHER'S DAY. AND I'LL WRITE IN CAPS SINCE IT SEEMS MORE 'MANLY'.  OR, IS IT?

SEEING AS BOTH OUR DEAR FATHERS HAVE PASSED ON, I THINK MOSTLY OF MAKING HUBBY FEEL SPECIAL ON FATHER'S DAY.  HE DOESN'T EXPECT MUCH; MOSTLY MORE OF THE SAME.  I ASKED HIM AT LUNCH TODAY IF HE WANTED SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR FATHER'S DAY DINNER.  HE SAID WHATEVER I FIXED WOULD BE FINE.  AWWWW.  

WE WILL BE CELEBRATING WITH OUR SONS, AS 2 OF THEM ARE FATHERS.  SO, IT WILL BE A FAMILY GATHERING OVER HERE AND I HAVE SEVERAL IDEAS FOR DINNER TIME. GRILLING STEAKS SEEMS LIKE ANOTHER 'MANLY' THING THEY'D WANT. HOWEVER, I JUST MAY STEER AWAY FROM THAT.  THEY ALL LIKE SELECTING THEIR OWN CUTS OF MEAT AND GRILLING AT HOME OFTEN.  PERHAPS WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER OFFERING OF 'PULLED PORK'.  I EVEN THOUGHT OF ORDERING DINNER FROM OUR LOCAL SONNY'S REAL PIT BARBECUE. WE HAVE DONE THAT OFTEN AND IT'S PRETTY HANDY HAVING THEM COOK UP THE CHICKEN. SO, I MIGHT DO BOTH. THE GIRLS WILL FIX SOME SIDES AND WE WILL BE CELEBRATING OUR SON DAN'S BIRTHDAY ALSO.  HE WAS BORN ON FATHER'S DAY, BUT HIS BIRTHDAY IS ON THE 18TH, WHICH IS THIS COMING MONDAY.  BESIDES BIRTHDAY CAKE, I HAVE A SPECIAL DESSERT IN MIND, WHICH I PLAN TO MAKE.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE FATHER'S DAY GREETINGS I FOUND:

I REALLY LIKED THE LAST ONE.  A PLAY ON WORDS IS ALWAYS FUN. THE FELLA LOOKS REAL FESTIVE TOO.

A CARD CONVEYS TO OUR DAD, FATHER, OR HUBBY THAT WE THINK THEY ARE A GREAT FATHER. WE ARE GIVING THEM AN 'ATTABOY'.  IT SEEMS TODAY THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT DADS DO WHICH ARE WAY MORE HANDS-ON THAN IT WAS WHEN WE WERE RAISING OUR BOYS.  I'M VERY PROUD OF HOW MY SONS PARTICIPATE IN THEIR CHILDRENS' DAILY LIVES.  YOUNGEST SON, DAN, JUST COACHED HIS 3 YEAR OLD SON IN T-BALL.  IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF SOME YEARS AHEAD WHEN I'M SURE BOTH OF THEM WILL GET EVEN MORE OUT OF THE EXPERIENCE AS IT MOVES ALONG.  SON JIM IS ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING WITH HIS CHILDREN TOO.  I'M NOT 'TOOTING' A HORN HERE, BUT I'M VERY SURE MY DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW ARE VERY BLESSED AS FAR AS THEIR HUBBY BEING A HANDS-ON DADDY.  I CANNOT REMEMBER ANY PROJECT OR INTEREST MY DAD TOOK IN WHAT I MIGHT BE DOING.  IT WAS A DIFFERENT ERA, I TELL MYSELF.  BUT, FRANKLY, I COULDN'T SEE HIM COMING TO SEE HOW OUR BARBIE DOLL FUN WAS PROGRESSING.  OUTDOORS HE ONLY WORKED IN THE YARD.  HE RARELY MADE SMALL TALK DURING THAT TIME UNLESS HE WANTED A PILE OF BRICKS MOVED OR THE FLOWER BEDS WEEDED.  THAT WAS MY DAD.  MOST DADS NEVER CHANGED A DIAPER BACK THEN EITHER.  IT WAS DEEMED A JOB THE WIFE DID. TO WHICH I SAY, PFFFFFTTTTTTTT.  OOPS, I AM GETTING OFF THE REAL TOPIC.  SORRY, DADS.

THERE ARE SO MANY CUTE BOOKS WRITTEN ABOUT DADS AND HOW CHILDREN ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH THEM.  OUR SONS HAD BOOKS WRITTEN BY MERCER MAYER.  TODAY OUR GRANDSONS ALSO HAVE BOOKS BY THE SAME WRITER. I'LL NUDGE YOUR MEMORY BY SHOWING THESE BOOK COVERS.

OUR SONS REALLY LIKED THESE BOOKS. THEY ALL HAVE A GOOD LESSON FOR THE CHILD TO REMEMBER.  MOST BOYS WANT TO BE LIKE THEIR DAD, BUT AS THEY GET OLDER, THEY REALIZE THEY MAY VERY WELL BE A DIFFERENT SORT OF GUY WHEN THEY ARE GROWN.  MY BOYS SAW THEIR DAD WORK SO HARD.  THEY SAID AT DIFFERENT STAGES THEY WANTED TO HAVE - MORE FUN.  YOU COULDN'T HAVE HAD A BETTER ROLE MODEL FOR A HARD WORKING MAN OF THE HOUSE; ONE WHO TOOK HIS RESPONSIBILITIES WAY SERIOUS.  

NOW, WHAT TO GET DAD?  DO WE BUY THE SAME OL GIFTS?  I REMEMBER GIVING OUR DAD TIES, DRESS SHIRT, OUTDOOR GRILL, A FOLDING CHAIR AND EVEN A FLOOR FAN ONE YEAR. WE ALWAYS MARVELED AT HIS DRAWER FULL OF UNUSED GIFTS IN THE BOTTOM DRAWER OF HIS DRESSER.  ONE TIME WE SAW A DANNY THOMAS T.V. SHOW WHERE HIS WIFE PULLED OUT SOME OF HIS FORMER GIFTS AND WRAPPED THEM UP AND GAVE THEM TO HIM.  I SUGGESTED THAT TO MOTHER.  NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED.  THERE ARE SO MANY TECHIE ITEMS IN THE STORE TO DRAW THE ATTENTION OF THE GIFT GIVERS.  I JUST WANT MY HUBBY TO REALIZE IT IS A BIG DEAL TO ME.  HE WAS AND IS AN AWESOME FATHER. AND EVEN MORE, HE HAS A 5 YEAR RUN SO FAR AT BEING A GRANDPA. HE LOVES HIS GRANDCHILDREN JUST LIKE I DO.  THEY ALL WANT TO KNOW, "WHERE'S PAPA?" WHEN THEY COME IN THE HOUSE.  NOT TOO LONG AGO HE READ TO ALL 3 OF JIM'S CHILDREN; ONE RIGHT AFTER THE OTHER.  IT SEEMS AFTER ONE OF THE CHILDREN ASKED HIM TO READ TO HIM, IT WASN'T GOING TO BE DONE UNTIL HE READ - INDIVIDUALLY - TO EACH ONE OF THEM.  I LOVED IT.  AND, TRUTH BE KNOW, I'M SURE HE DID TOO.

I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR GODLY DADS. BECAUSE OUR 'FATHER' IN HEAVEN FIRST LOVED US, WE KNOW HOW TO LOVE. GOD HAS BOTH SHOWN US HOW TO 'RAISE UP OUR CHILDREN' AND LOVE THEM UNCONDITIONALLY.  MOST TIMES THAT IS EASY. A LOVING FATHER KNOWS WHEN WE'RE HURTING AND HE IS ALWAYS THERE. WE CAN TURN TO HIM IN GOOD TIMES OR BAD.  LIKE OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, OUR EARTHLY DADS CARRY OUT HIS PLANS FOR NURTURING HIS CHILDREN. MOMS AND DADS CARRY A BIG RESPONSIBILITY AS FAR AS TEACHING THEIR CHILDREN ALL ABOUT GOD. IN SOME CASES THE CHILDREN BRING THE PARENTS TO THE LORD.  IT'S A WONDERFUL THING.

MY DAD TOOK HIS FINAL TRIP ON MARCH 13, 1983.  HE WAS REUNITED WITH HIS PARENTS AND A LITTLE INFANT BROTHER.  WE MISS HIM A LOT.  LOOKING AT PICTURES OF HIM HELPS.  I CAN STILL HEAR HIS VOICE. HUG THOSE DADS AROUND THE NECK. I CAN REMEMBER WHAT HIS OLD SPICE SMELLED LIKE.  AND THE GRECIAN FORMULA ON HIS HAIR.  

I LOVE YOU, DADDY