Sharp breezes, biting cold and blistering heat have possessed our environment of late.
I am not one to jump on the climate change bandwagon quickly. My father, a meteorologist, taught me to think in terms of millenia not short bursts of decades.
At the same time, the scientist in him would not discount research. He measured water flow and predicted air currents. He stood in a field with measuring tools, checking the atmosphere. He worked in towering skyscrapers, compiling data.
Not bad for a farm boy from Kindersley!
I’m forever grateful for my father.
As I approach Father’s day, I’m reminded of a whole other set of fathers. Fathers are given the opportunity for closest relationship. Biologically, we all have a donor who started our lives. Whether that donor becomes a sponsor of a child’s life is another matter.
While the term abandoned seems harsh, the intentions can range from desire for a better life for the child to a selfish desire to be rid of the responsibility of a child. Another person is sought – whether by the family or society in general. A child can also be thrown into disarray by divorce or death. Another father may arise in their life. And a question arises – “Who is my father?”
I am an adoptive father. I am also a step-father.
I know the joys of fatherhood, and the scars that come to fathers. I know the hesitancy of being too restrictive, and the regrets of being too permissive. I know the condemnation of society when I failed to parent well, and the support of others when I needed help.
At the same time, perhaps I have a small sense of what it means to not be the biological father – and for children to miss that intimacy with their biological father.
On this Father’s day, think not only of the grand gestures – of gifts of tools and toys and thanks.
Also, weep with struggling fathers, pray for strength and wisdom for burdened fathers – and as simple as this may seem, let a father know that you care.
For more, visit kindersleysocial.ca/webarchive/Ron-Baker
