{"id":3237,"date":"2010-06-20T10:51:51","date_gmt":"2010-06-20T14:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/?p=3237"},"modified":"2011-03-19T11:41:37","modified_gmt":"2011-03-19T15:41:37","slug":"fathers-day-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/2010\/06\/fathers-day-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Father&#8217;s Day Gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/daddyeye.jpg\" border=\"0\"><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Daddy has been gone now so long. Each year, the feelings are a little different; this year it&#8217;s wistfulness and affection. I have more insight into how he was now, and compassion has replaced anger and confusion. We are at peace. <\/p>\n<p>I think about my stepfather &#8211; how determined he is to live as best he can, how romantic he is with my mother &#8211; and wish I could do more to help to make life easier for them.<\/p>\n<p>I think about the mentors and guides that are gone &#8211; I miss them more, not less, as time passes. I was so very fortunate to have known them, and to have been able to absorb (at least some of) their gifts to me.<\/p>\n<p>I think about my fathers and brothers in spirit &#8211; dear friends, good men &#8211; and I am more grateful than I can express for their friendship and example. Seeing the men I love become good and caring fathers, and grandfathers, adds meaning and value to my world, and to <em>the<\/em> world.<\/p>\n<p>And I wish my husband &#8211; my dear sweet companion and such a wonderful father to our son &#8211; a very Happy Father&#8217;s Day. <\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/johnben2009.jpg\" border=\"0\"><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Gratitude!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A Father&#8217;s Day Prayer ~ Kirk Loadman<\/p>\n<p>Let us praise those fathers who have striven to balance the demands of work, marriage, and children with an honest awareness of both joy and sacrifice.<br \/>\nLet us praise those fathers who, lacking a good model for a father, have worked to become a good father.<br \/>\nLet us praise those fathers who by their own account were not always there for their children, but who continue to offer those children, now grown, their love and support.<br \/>\nLet us pray for those fathers who have been wounded by the neglect and hostility of their children.<br \/>\nLet us praise those fathers who, despite divorce, have remained in their children&#8217;s lives.<br \/>\nLet us praise those fathers whose children are adopted, and whose love and support has offered healing.<br \/>\nLet us praise those fathers who, as stepfathers, freely choose the obligation of fatherhood and earned their step children&#8217;s love and respect.<br \/>\nLet us praise those fathers who have lost a child to death, and continue to hold the child in their heart.<br \/>\nLet us praise those men who have no children, but cherish the next generation as if they were their own.<br \/>\nLet us praise those men who have &#8220;fathered&#8221; us in their role as mentors and guides.<br \/>\nLet us praise those men who are about to become fathers; may they openly delight in their children.<br \/>\nAnd let us praise those fathers who have died, but live on in our memory and whose love continues to nurture us.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>(thank you, dear <a href=\"http:\/\/innerrealm4peace.blogspot.com\/\">Rosalie<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daddy has been gone now so long. Each year, the feelings are a little different; this year it&#8217;s wistfulness and affection. I have more insight into how he was now, and compassion has replaced anger and confusion. We are at peace. I think about my stepfather &#8211; how determined he is to live as best he can, how romantic he is with my mother &#8211; and wish I could do more to help to make life easier for them. I&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/2010\/06\/fathers-day-gratitude\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,6],"tags":[4664,5680,5679],"class_list":["post-3237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mommy-stuff","category-personal","tag-dad","tag-fathers","tag-fathers-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3237"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4850,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3237\/revisions\/4850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}