Father's Day

By Jena Galifany 

Jena and Daddy 1967

In 1906, a young lady, while listening to a Mother’s day sermon, was moved to wonder why there was not a day that similarly honored fathers. After all, her own loving father had personally taken care of his children after their mother died while giving birth to the sixth child. He took on the challenge of raising his new born and its five siblings in a day when most men would have found another woman, probably a relative, to take the large brood off his hands.

Sonora Smart Dodd felt that her father deserved as much honor as mothers all over the country. After all, he had acted as father and mother to the six children. She raised support for the idea, including the YMCA and the Spokane Ministerial Association in Washington. Spokane responded by celebrating its first Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.

The idea spread and was supported through the years by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. In 1924, Calvin Coolidge said he supported the idea, noting that it would, "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations". These men supported the idea but did not make it a declared observance.

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father’s Day a presidential proclamation to be observed on the third Sunday of June. Finally, in 1972, President Richard Nixon established the third Sunday of June to be the permanent national observance of Father’s Day in the United States.

It seems that it took a long time to establish this day of honor for fathers but Sonora saw her desire to honor her loving father come to fruition. She died in 1978 at the age of 96 and will always be remembered for the love she had for her father, Mr. William Jackson Smart, Civil War Veteran and outstanding example of fatherhood.

Steve and Jen 2010

Fatherhood should be an event seriously thought out and planned. It should not be taken lightly and too often these days, it is. Fatherhood was not on the mind of a young Brian Cummings, percussionist in the ShadowsForge series. It took three years and major tragedy for him to find out. Here’s the blurb from Brian’s story:

Brian Cummings has come a long way from Leicestershire, England. Miles of hard road lay between then and now—hard road he’s kept hidden—until the nightmares begin again.

Brian Cummings

Diane Starling loves Brian. If she were not carrying his child, she’d still do anything to make him happy—even letting him go to someone else. Who is the woman in his nightly dreams? Why does she make him scream?

Valerie Leonard, journalist, dredges up history that should remain buried; history that could ruin Brian and hurt the people he loves most. Should Val keep his dangerous past to herself? Doesn’t Diane have the right to know the truth about the father of her child?
Brian and Diane fight to overcome the past, embrace the present, and build a future as they travel with ShadowsForge on “THE LONG WAY HOME.”

Review:

"ShadowsForge 4: The Long Way Home is a reader's dream. The tug of emotions I felt while reading Brian's story are a credit to Ms. Galifany as a writer. I was moved to tears on more than one occasion and besieged by frustration as life worked against Brian, Mia and Diane. Page after page I was drawn further into the lives of the characters, wanting to know what would happen next, hoping that somehow Brian's life would finally end in happiness. Ms. Galifany has woven a tale of tragedy and love that is more genuine than any I have

read in a long time. I wasn't expecting such a deeply moving story from a series devoted to a popular British rock band, but ShadowsForge 4: The Long Way Home is just such a story.If you have not read the rest of the ShadowsForge series, do not hesitate to start with The Long Way Home. Ms. Galifany has woven enough history into the story that you will quickly learn about the other members of the band and some of the interesting adventures they have had. If you are a devout ShadowsForge follower, I think you will be intrigued by the in-depth look into the past of their drummer and the secrets he's been carrying within him all this time. As for me, I'm off to find the first three volumes of the ShadowsForge series so I can hear about all those amazing adventures these bad boys of rock have had a part in." - Reviewed By Sabine Maurier, Novelspot.

Please visit my WEBSITE for excerpts from the ShadowsForge Series.

Have a wonderful day!

Cheers!

JG