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To our Readers:
I want to use this space to wish my fellow patriarchs out there a festive Father’s Day. Growing up in a strained family situation, I never gave the occasion much consideration, though I always wished that my friends would enjoy great times with their dads. Becoming a father five years ago, I received a reminder that one often has to have a life-altering event happen to change his or her perceptions about an observation, with my first Father’s Day, which came only a week after the birth of my son, being a priceless lesson and a reprimand for my narrow thinking.
There are people who will argue that celebrations such as Father’s Day are only means for people to peddle gifts, and while we cannot deny the commercialism surrounding the third Sunday in June, I find myself focusing far more on its call to nourish our notions of love. I lacked that blessing from my father for most of his life, so I can definitely relate to those who will wake up Sunday and think, “Ugh, here we go again,” but I see Father’s Day just as I view Mother’s Day and every other day on the calendar. It is a chance to be thankful for the gift of possibility and to maximize each moment, neckties optional.
Joseph Myers South Philly Review editor
