Overheard on Father's Day

Around the dining table, while munching on this cake from JB and Gianina, specially ordered from the US, Tony drones his yearly statement: "Father's Day is a marketing ploy."

"Year after year you keep saying that," JR retorted.

A dyed-in-the-wool marketing man, Tony replies, "It's true."

"Well, it's a good marketing ploy," JR replies. "It give us—your children—one opportunity to honor you."

"You can do that any time of the year."

"Yes, we can, but we forget. Father's Day reminds us, in a big way, of such worthy endeavor."

"Hrrmph."

"You get treated to a free meal for once and receive a cake like this," JR said, taking another slice.

"Hrrmph."

Later in church, JR was the worship leader, and before calling on the fathers to stand up to be prayed for by the congregation, he said:

"Sons and fathers are not very overt about their feelings to each other. Maybe it has something to do with gender, but not too many sons say, 'I love you' to their fathers—nor fathers to their sons—as often as daughters do. So let's take this opportunity to honor the fathers among us.

"Through this simple ceremony of praying for them and giving them tokens of appreciation, we communicate how much we do love our father—for everything he does for us, and for standing true to being the gift of our Father in heaven to his children.

"My father says Father's Day is a marketing ploy. Well, ploy or not, am I glad marketing men thought of inventing it." 

We raised our hands and prayed over all the fathers, and asked God to to help them model, and live, the special grace of fatherhood not only on Father's Day but all through the year.