This month is Father’s month. We express our love to our dad’s whether they are living or dead. If they are alive, we are lucky because we could tell them that we love them and they can hear us. They can appreciate our bear hugs and give us one in turn. This is why we should always tell our father or our mother that we love them while they are alive and well. When we lose our parents we can only talk about the memories about them but that does not bring them back alive. I lost my dad back in ’96. I still feel the loss because I could only live with the memories about him. How much better if we relive our memories about them while they can still share a chuckle or a belly laugh about our foolishness when we were young?We should honor our parents because God said that if we do that we will live long upon the land which God gave us. That is the only commandment with a promise. The second commandment said that if we hate God, our sins will be visited upon the third and fourth generations, whereas if we love God and keep his commandments, God will show us mercy. Which is better for us, to receive punishment for the sins of our fathers, or receive mercy which endures forever?
The father is the spiritual head, the priest of the family. In Deuteronomy 6: 4-9, the Lord commands that he teach his children about loving the Lord God with all their hearts. Moses wrote:““Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one![b] 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates”.
In Liz Johnston’s cartoon, “For Better or For Worse”, there was a scene showing the father sitting on the sofa with his teen-age daughter. He was thinking, “How can I get through to her? She has changed.” The daughter was also thinking, “He doesn’t hug me any more.” Dads, hug your sons and daughters even if they are already grown up. They will appreciate it more than giving them name brand clothes like GAP, TOMMY HILFIGER, JESSICA, ETC. They will be closer to you MORE THAN YOU THINK.
Last Sabbath Saturday, I sat listening to a young woman speaking during the divine service. She was giving the homily or sermon. I’d like to share with you some of the wisdom that she shared with us. As she was talking I remembered the preceeding paragraph about hugs. She said, “Have you hugged your child today?” “If the children do not get HUGS from dad (or mom) they will get them somewhere else!”
What’s so powerful about a HUG? Humongous! Healthy!
“Hugging is healthy. It is Invigorating! It is Rejuvenating. No Unpleasant side effect! It helps the Immune System! It Cures depression! Hugging reduces Stress. Helps you Sleep. HUGGING IS A MIRACLE DRUG. It is natural, organic, naturally sweet, no artificial ingredients, non-polluting, environmentally friendly, 100% perfectly wholesome HUGGING is practically perfect, no batteries to wear out, Inflation proof, Non-fattening, no monthly payments, Thief proof , NON_TAXABLE,. FREE , and Emotionally healing success” Children need a fatherly healthy touch. Dad can wrestle with the children, give them piggyback rides, play hockey or basketball. Dads, hug your daughters even if they are already grown up. Remember they need it too. Bring them fishing. Carl Suzuki, the father of Dr. David Suzuki, once told me while we were fishing at the Jericho Beach long time ago. He said, “I made a mistake by not bringing my daughters fishing when they were small. I only brought David. Now they don’t even like to fish with me.” Fishing is one of the times you can bond with your children. My dad used to bring us fishing along the Abra River long time ago. He could catch fish with his bare hands in the water. He could cast a net and he introduced the spear gun to the people of Dilong, Abra for fishing underwater. Dads, when you go fishing, don’t go for Salmon. They are hard to catch and will bore the children if there are no bites. Go to the Fraser, there are lots of whitefish, squawfish or even bullheads to be caught. There are no limits on these fish, and the children will enjoy themselves. Remember the saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you will feed him for a whole lifetime.” I hope to be able to bring our grandson fishing someday and if there is a granddaughter I will bring her too.
God also wants to hug us. He is the Father of the prodigal Son, the Son who likes to gather the children in his arms and bless them, like the Good Shepherd who carries the young lambs in His bosom. Some day, in the new earth which God will recreate, we will enjoy the hugs of God. We will go out and see the inheritance that He will give us. We will build houses and live in them and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. We will hug and embrace our sons and daughters and we will live eternally. So the commandment will be fulfilled, Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Amen.
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