It's Father's Day

 cj Sez:  Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there, and to those who can’t be at home with their family because they are serving our country in far-away places, my prayers go up for your safe return.

   Father’s Day, like Mother’s Day, has a history that goes well beyond greeting cards. The first known American celebration to honor fathers happened in 1908 at the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South in Fairmont, West Virginia. A Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton wanted to have a memorial service for the more than 200 fathers who had died in the Monongah mining explosion that occurred on December 6, 1907. Described as “the worst mining disaster in American History,” the explosion left some 1,000 children without fathers.

   Father’s Day was formally observed in Spokane, Washington, on June 19, 1910 (the third Sunday in June). It became an annual celebration there and in some other cities but did not become a permanent national holiday for decades. In 1966, Lyndon Johnson used his Presidential Pen to issue a proclamation designating the third Sunday in June to honor fathers. In 1972 President Richard Nixon signed the law declaring Father’s Day be celebrated annually on the third Sunday in June.

   cj’s note: According to a National Review analysis, at the time of the mine disaster in the early 1900s, fewer than eight percent of kids under the age of ten lived in a household that didn’t include their biological or adoptive father. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, today 19.5 million children, more than 1 in 4, live without a father in the home.

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On a personal note

Eric and Rosa Wed

   My father struggled through a harsh childhood, and I don't remember that we ever said "I love you" to each other. But I knew he loved me because of the unexpected and gentle things he would do for me. What follows is an excerpt from a personal essay I wrote for the 2008 anthology “Christmas through a Child’s Eyes.” It's my favorite memory of him. It was my first Christmas in Detroit, and I was seven-years old.

“On Christmas morning, I woke to the sound of music I remember hearing when I was little. Daddy was in the kitchen, listening to a radio station that played Swedish music. I slipped out of bed and peeked around the door. He began to sing in Swedish while he stirred a pot of oatmeal, then he twirled and danced a schottische around the kitchen. I was overflowing with happiness at the familiar sounds and sights. Watching Daddy dancing alone made me giggle out loud.

“God Jul, litet dotter,” he said and swept me up in his thick arms.

Merry Christmas, Daddy!” I responded happily.

I held tight to his neck and laughed while he sang, as we spun around the kitchen floor. I smelled his spicy aftershave and rested my cheek against the coarseness of a beard he could never completely shave off.

He's been gone for a lifetime, and I still miss him dearly.

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Son’s photo of a hummingbird, taken on Dauphin Island, AL.

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Writerly/Readerly quotes: 

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ― Dr. Seuss

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And now a short message from my sponsor:

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   Buy Death on the Yampa at https://books2read.com/u/bxe1AP   

   The paperback of Death on the Yampa, a homegrown-terrorist adventure, is available on Amazon:    Buy Paperback Yampa

   The paperback of the international thriller The Dawgstar is available here:  Amazon Buy Now   

   If you've enjoyed reading one of my books, or any author’s books, please leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon or wherever. It shares your joy of reading with others and means the world to the author. Please and thank you.

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A note from The Haunted Book Shop …

  On Monday (June 21) and Tuesday (June 22), take a bite out of prime! Bookshop.org is offering free shipping on all orders. Check out our storefront there at https://bookshop.org/shop/thehauntedbookshopmobile. We do get a commission on any sales you make through us, but also a slice of it goes into a kitty split between all member stores, so shopping through bookshop dot org supports indie bookstores nationwide!

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   That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

   P.S. TO ORDER my books or any book of your choice on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

   If you’d like me to autograph or personalize it for you, be sure to tell them.

   The Haunted Bookshop has re-opened to limited hours (and they have an awesome bookstore kitty, Mr. Bingley), so if you’re in the Mobile area, you can stop and shop, too.

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