Tributes to Fathers

I feel elated that you have joined us today to commemorate Father’s Day, which happens on the third Sunday of June each year. A day where fatherhood and a father’s contributions to their children are recognized and celebrated. The founder of father’s day Ms. Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, United States, observed the first Father’s Day on Sunday, June 19, 1910. Raised by a widower with 6 children, Ms. Dodd wished her father would receive equal honor as mothers on Mother’s Day. Since then, Father’s Day has become a worldwide celebration.

Our beloved Master, reminds us to remember our father’s grace. “Today let’s remember our father’s grace. Remember his unconditional contribution. We should also remember to be a spiritual practitioner like that. Being a father, just taking care of a few children, he’s already working so hard and devoting all his unconditional love.”

Today, on Father’s Day, vegan kids from around the world are showing their gratitude and appreciation for their fathers in their own unique ways. First, Johnson from Sydney, Australia, would like to say a few heart-warming lines to his father. “A strong and silent man. Yet he wields a loving and gentle hand. The protector of my soul. The foundation of my life. You may wonder who is this man. But to me, he is the one I call Dad. Happy Father’s Day.” Now two young kids share a Father’s Day song in Spanish, the native language of Mexico.

Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai encourages us to be most aware of how much our parents provide for us and never take it for granted. “Do something, you know. Yeah? No need Father’s Day. We can celebrate anytime we feel we love the father so much that the father sacrifice so much for us. We must know he sacrificed. Where does the house come from? Where does the food come from? Where do your clothes come from? All from the parents. So every time you wear something, you eat something, that is the time you should remember the parents even. No need to wait once a year.”