¶ Father’s Day Reflections
Good morning, everybody. Lee Brower here. Welcome to this week's edition of Meaningful Monday. I am grateful to be here, and I am glad to be here. It's the day after Father's Day. I'm still basking in Father's Day. Okay? So grateful for my father. Grateful to be a father. So grateful to be a grandpa. What an awesome blessing and awesome responsibility. You know, as I was basking in my father, I looked up on my wall, and there's a picture of him.
That's me and my dad, and that's his last hand that he traced before he passed on. And I get to look at that all the time. And I love that I can look up there and see in his words and his handwriting, I am especially grateful for the doctors. Good news from the doctors. And I'm especially grateful and happy to be with family this year, this Christmas. I'm especially grateful for more time to spend with those whom I love most.
¶ The Essence of Fatherhood
Now, it brings with it a lot of memories, a lot of thinking But over this last weekend, I've really delved into fatherhood And realized that fatherhood doesn't just include the biological father or the stepfather, fatherhood is something that includes maybe the single mother that's handling it by themselves. It's maybe handling this thing, what I call involved fatherhood. It's a term that came to me as I was going through this, that there's so many more people.
Fatherhood is such an essential part of the home. It really is. Think about it. Fathers, your presence provides stability. Your words provide wisdom and your actions teach integrity. Your silent heroes, your role models, and your mentors that shape future generations, which is top of mind to me right now.
¶ Impact of Absent Fathers
And we can acknowledge for all of the reasons, though we have to acknowledge, that there are far too many children. They're saying one out of every four child born in America today will live without a father, a father or a stepfather. Think about that. And that's huge. The absence of them, the challenges that that brings is just huge.
¶ Recognizing Father Figures
It's huge. It's societal. But yet, should we also consider, should we also focus in on the people that serve the role of father figures? They may be single mothers. They could be mentors. They could be grandparents, community leaders, volunteers, people that just reach out, neighbors. Their courage, their perseverance is commendable. Their outward arrows out, thinking about others is commendable. And it's an integral part of the fabric of our society.
¶ Expressing Gratitude
If we can stay in gratitude, had an experience a couple of weeks ago, had the opportunity to be at an event that was hosted by James Dixon, the absolute motivator. One of the presenters came in and challenged us all to reach out to someone that's living and express our gratitude to them. Well, I thought, you know, that for what they've done in our lives, well, the first person that came to mind was my dad, but I thought about so
many others. But then there was one that goes back clear to when I was 14 years old. He was a teacher, my teacher, 14. And we, in some way, we have stayed in touch all of these years. And I thought, I'm going to shoot him, and I have his phone number, so I sent him a text. Here's what it said. Hi, Joe. I was thinking about you today and the difference you have made in my life and the ripples in those lives you have impacted and the lives that you've impacted and don't know that you've done so.
If you could see how many others have been blessed from your ripples, you would burst into tears. I'm grateful for the ripples you have made in my life. I immediately got a text back. Lee, you always lift me up. You always lift me up when I'm down and out. It's a little message from you that takes care of everything. You've always been there throughout all my years. Bless you, bless you, bless you. Hope you're doing well.
I'm here going to the waiting period of my life, and I'll soon be 92 years old. And with that has come divine interventions that allow me to continue on. I love you as my son. Take care of you and yours, Joe.
¶ Creating Stronger Families
So as we think about it, together we can create, through Involved Fatherhood, stronger families, brighter future. We can create a legacy of enduring principles, steadfast character, heartfelt compassion, deep connections. Let us lead by example, nurturing the next generation to be even stronger and more resilient. We need more Involved Fatherhood. Let's make a commitment to do so. Let's not limit Father's Day to just one day.
Let's celebrate those who have father figures and celebrate those that don't have father figures let's go out and find a way that we can do even more future generations are calling us to do that have a meaningful week let's talk next week.