I pause to honor all fathers today. Happy Fathers Day to all our dads of all
races, nationalities, and cultures living in the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
Fathers are special creatures God designed to love in a special way. Nothing can
compare to a father’s love. When they are committed to their fathering task,
they have an undying dedication, and a tenacious commitment that not even a
mother’s love can match. Bahamian and Caribbean fathers are special and
unique. They bring into their loving, an extraordinary, and creative form of
energy, garnered through the mixture of many cultural, racial, and national
traditions.
The love of dedicated Bahamian and Caribbean fathers is like crazy
glue between two pieces of wood, baking powder in a cake, yeast in bread dough,
gray cement in white sand, and water on a dry parched land. A Caribbean father’s
love is sensational, powerful, and healing. A dedicated, loving, Caribbean
father is proof that fathers can love as much as mothers . . . And maybe a
little more.
Here is a short allegory of fathers entitled
"When
the good Lord Created Fathers" written by the late Erma Bombeck,
humorist and author. She died April 22, 1996 in San Francisco, California.
Although I do not agree with all her nuances or ideas about fathers, I do like
the gist of the story, so I thought you might enjoy it also:
"When the good Lord was creating fathers, He started with a tall frame.
A female angel nearby said, "What kind of father is that? If you're going
to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He
won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without
bending or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping. And God smiled and said,
"Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up
to?"
And when God made a father's hands, they were large and sinewy. The angel
shook her head sadly and said, "Large hands are clumsy. They can't manage
diaper pins, small buttons, rubber
bands on ponytails or even remove splinters
caused by sticks used as baseball bats." And God smiled and said, "I
know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his
pockets at the end of a day, yet small enough to cup a child's face." And
then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders. The angel nearly had a
heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of the week, all right," she
clucked.
"Do you realize you just made a father without a lap? How is he going to
pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?" And
God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders
to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle or hold a sleepy head on the way home
from the circus. "God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet
anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain herself no longer.
"That's not fair. Do you honestly think those large boats are going to dig
out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small
birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?" And God
smiled and said, "They'll work. You'll see. They'll support a small child
who wants to ride a horse to Banbury Cross or scare off mice at the summer cabin
or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill. "God worked on, giving
the father few words but a firm, authoritative voice and eyes that saw
everything but remained calm and tolerant. Finally, almost as an afterthought,
He added tears.
Then He turned to the angel and said, "Now, are you
satisfied that he can love as much as a mother?
"The angel shutteth
up." "
