According to Sonora Smart, a resident of Spokane, Washington, in the USA, this special day was about honoring and appreciating love and sacrifice by fathers around the world.
On the first Father’s Day on 16th June 1910, she had in mind her dad, a war veteran and single parent who bravely brought them up as a family of six after their mother passed on while they were still young.
Today, do we like Sonora Smart celebrate this day by appreciating love, sacrifice and effort, or do we just appreciate any dad out there?
If there were rewards like medals or trophies being awarded every year to the most outstanding and deserving of dads, I’d push as much as I could to be at the table where the selections are made.
According to me, not every other dad would qualify for a banquet or medal. I’d only leave most to get ordinary recognition from their families. This is because I would go further to draw a line between good and the extraordinary.
Sample this. During last year’s Father’s Day, I saw my relative called Lucy, pour out her love and best wishes to her father for always being there in her life as she grew up since childhood.
From enrolling her in great schools, paying for trips to memorable places, this father has always ensured that his family is well taken care of. This is good. The world is full of such wonderful fathers, and on a day like this, they deserve every bit of recognition and appreciation.
But then there is this unique case of my friend Julius Mokoro.
He’s a dad to a 16-year-old boy, Turere, who is yet to enroll even in a school’s first grade due to a devastating, rare disease that continues to threaten every joint of his body.
For over a decade, both son and dad have been into lengthy hospital stays during which time the boy has had both legs amputated to the knee level, and by early last year, the problem started eating off his fingers, even as doctors continue to try arresting the situation.
Think of Julius and the lengthy stays away from home as a husband to a young wife. A father trying to balance his love for his family. As a provider looked upon to know how bills, including the hospital ones, are to be sorted.
Think of Julius as an African man from the Maasai community fighting off the cultural myths and stigma associated with this rare disease afflicting his son while still holding the mantle of leadership in the family.
From Sanora Smart, my relative Lucy Mumbi and my friend Julius Mokoro, you can understand why my Father’s Day appreciation would go to all the dads, but should there be a medal or trophy, then without doubt I’d bestow it upon Julius Mokoro.
In my many years as a father and caregiver to children living with rare disorders and severe disabilities, I have interacted with some wonderful fathers whose love and dedication to families are out of this world.
Husbands who wholeheartedly live by the vows ’till death do us part’. Dads who value humanity and sacrifice everything under the sun while standing with and offering total and absolute love to the child who acquires disability.
Fathers who stand with their loved ones no matter the circumstances. Those are the fathers that do not only deserve celebration and recognition but reward that openly speaks to society and humanity.
Nonetheless, Happy Father’s Day to all fathers out there.
Related: 5 Father’s Day Gift Ideas For Your Dad
Jimmy Kabindu
Jimmy Kabindu is a passionate advocate for persons living with disabilities and a devoted caregiver to two special needs children. His writing draws from lived experience and his community. You can connect with him on Facebook @Jimmy Kabindu.
Happy father to the fathers that truly deserve the medals.