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Ain’t No Sunshine When He’s Gone
As I write this it is Father’s Day in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as these countries celebrate on the third Sunday in June. It is also observed on this same day in the countries of Qatar, Argentina, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Mexico, Pakistan, Singapore, and Venezuela, as well as almost a hundred more countries. In Egypt, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Syria and the United Arab Emirates the celebration of fathers is always on June 21st, coinciding with the summer solstice. It’s also my birthday on the twenty-first day of June so many times my special day also falls on Father’s Day.
Even though many people had advocated for decades for a special day to recognize fathers, this did not become an official national holiday for many years. The first bill was introduced in Congress in 1913, but in spite of encouragement by President Woodrow Wilson, it did not pass. Then in 1966, President Lyndon Baines Johnson issued a proclamation designating the third Sunday in June to honor fathers. It wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed a law declaring that Father’s Day be celebrated annually on the third Sunday in June. It has been an official and permanent national holiday ever since.
My parents divorced when I was three years old. I saw my father occasionally during the next several years, but finally he missed a few Sunday visits with me…
