This coming Sunday, June 16, is Father’s Day.

It is a day to honor our fathers, stepfathers or that special male role model in our lives who is like a father to us.

According to britannica.com, “Credit for originating the holiday is generally given to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Wash., whose father, a Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. She is said to have had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day, which at the time was becoming established as a holiday.

“Local religious leaders supported the idea, and the first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the month of the birthday of Dodd’s father,” britannica.com reported.

The website further states, “In 1924, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge gave his support to the observance, and in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation that recognized the day. It became a national holiday in 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed legislation designating the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day.”

All throughout retail stores, on the internet and on television right now, one can find a multitude of gift ideas to purchase for Father’s Day such as cards, clothes, tools, sporting goods, barbecue grills and cool electronics or technical gadgets.

If you are not one for spending money for Father’s Day, here are a few suggestions to show your father that you appreciate, honor and love him:

• Make him a card instead or purchasing one at the store.

• Spend some quality time with him such as having a picnic or watching his favorite show or movie on television.

• Lend him a hand with his chores around the house or yard.

• Cook him a special meal or his favorite meal.

• Give him the day off to do whatever he wants, such as maybe spending the day taking a nap.

Whatever way you plan on honoring him, make this coming Father’s Day a special one.

If you are like me whose father has passed away, there are still ways you can honor your father. The way I plan to honor my father is to spend some time remembering the fond memories I have of him.

One of my fondest memories of him is when I told him I buried my shoes in our backyard when I was a child and had him dig for them. Every time I told him “a little deeper daddy,” he would dig until he had a large deep hole in our backyard and no shoes.

I also remember the time I broke my wrist roller skating at the local skating rink and he came, picked me up and took me to the hospital.

Let’s not just make this coming Sunday a day to honor our fathers, but let us make every day a day to show them we appreciate and love them for all they do.

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in the Lehigh Valley.

Susan Bryant

editorial assistant

Parkland Press

Northwestern Press