5 Heartwarming Father's Day Stories That Will Warm Your Soul
Father’s Day 2023 is Celebrated on Sun, June 18th.
Ask most anyone about their father and you will likely hear a story, and perhaps many stories, about their father. I know I could easily talk the questioner’s ear off about my own dad. Our dad’s inspire us, entertain us, push us, and more often than not leave us wishing we had more time with them. One of the great and terrible things about dads is that we tend to share them with their ambitions, responsibilities, and hobbies, for the most part, more than we share our mothers with these endeavors. I know that is a reflection of the era in which I grew up but I think life remains largely that way in many families. My own father worked long hours in addition to being involved with community organizations and his weekly golf game. When he was home we couldn’t get enough of him, literally hanging onto him. In an era when fathers were out of the house, and moms stayed home, dads were rock stars when they came home, and perhaps never lost that allure.
My point is that most dads leave their children with memories that inspire us, entertain us, and push us. Taking a sampling of stories that mention dads here on History Chip, brings a long list of stories about dads who did great things, inspired and entertained. And, even though these stories may not always be told from the point of view of trying to warm anyone’s soul, the recounting of these stories is from a place of love and an already warmed soul. These stories are memories that have nestled in our minds, warmed and cozied by love and longing for these moments long past. And these stories are shared with bragging rights and the belief that others’ souls will be warmed by the stories of our fathers.
We have chosen stories told of 5 inspiring dads who deserve to be celebrated and honored this Father's Day. These are ‘ordinary’ dads doing the extraordinary job of inspiring their children by working hard, surviving adversity, and dancing to their own drummer. When our ‘ordinary’ fathers do all of that, it is easier for their children to know that maybe they too can be inspiring ‘ordinary’ adults. We hope that you will enjoy these short heartwarming stories and then read their full stories. Even better, these stories might inspire you to share your story about your father.
The Army Navy Game: December 11, 2021
By Donald Judson
My dad was a WWII Navy pilot.….
I don’t regularly watch college football games, but this year, I saw that America’s Game would be broadcast on Saturday December 11th. On Saturday morning, I texted my brothers… I didn’t need to finish the thought before we were reminiscing over group text about our dad’s annual ritual. One of my brothers pointed out game day, December 11, 2021, would have been our father’s 100th birthday. Suddenly, the whole thing took on new meaning. I couldn’t think of a better way to honor my father than to sit down to watch “The Game” and root like a madman for Navy.
By Giovanni Ciriani
Sergio Ciriani became an indentured servant in a German factory during World War II…
Living conditions were abysmal; food was very scarce. From the few anecdotes that Sergio told his family, the laborers would dig potatoes that others had planted out at night from the fields inside the plant, eat them, and put the stem and leaves back in the ground to make it seem that the tuber was still there; they would eat even the peel. By Sergio's account, he and other laborers would lick dew from rocks in the morning to quench their thirst. Altogether, during the time he spent there he lost 25 kg (over 55 pounds), from a healthy weight of 80 kg (176 lbs) to around 55 kg (121 lbs). Eventually the Allies advanced all over Germany and in April 1945 freed the prisoners at Leuna Works.
Parents of the Greatest Generation
By David T. Daniel
Probably with little or no formal education, Dad was adventurist, smart and eternally optimistic. In 1905 at the age of 18, he took a competitive civil service test to become a rural mail carrier, and with the best score, he got the job. At first he covered the route on horseback, then with horse and buggy, and finally with a T-Model Ford which he bought in 1914.
By Eleanor King
About the time I was born – 1917 – my father, Hal, bought a Model T Ford. A model with a turtle-back to make it look like a so-called respectable car. This could be removed and replaced with a truck back. My father was a bee-keeper. He could use the “truck” back to haul bee supplies. The Model T could seat 2 people – my mother, father and me if I sat on my mother’s lap. … In the winter, my dad had to heat a kettle full of water on our coal range to fill the radiator. The radiator was drained at night so it wouldn’t freeze.
By Jeanne Peck
You see, Charlie was what used to be called a “Patsy”. An old-fashioned word, which is described in Webster’s as “a person easily manipulated; a sucker”. I prefer a kinder and softer definition: a person with a gentle and sweet nature, who can be easily taken advantage of, recognizes that it’s happening, but doesn’t really mind.
These are all just teasers for the larger story and of the fathers themselves. Reading these, we want to know more about these dads. They all sound so different from one another but all of them sound like interesting people. This Father’s Day, take a little time to write your story about your dad. Our stories, our personal stories, are best told by us, by the people who experienced them. Your dad will love that you shared your memories of him. Your children will love that this memory of him is preserved and the world will profit by the reading of it. Your stories matter!