What do you think of when you hear the word father?

This Sunday is Father's Day, we all have a biological father, most of us are lucky enough to have had a father figure in our lives, but not all.

For most families, the Father is the biological source of our DNA. For others it may be a non-traditional “Father” figure such as an uncle, grandfather, big brother, or even a strong female who helps mold us into functional adults. Fathers are often only visible in our lives in the evening or on weekends. They may be gone from the house before we get up in the morning returning when the day is well spent. Consequently, most of us spend much less time with our fathers than we do with our moms.

What are the memories of time spent with your father? Are they of the “fun one” who played games with you, teased you and made you laugh? Some are the family disciplinarian. Others spend time teaching us the skills we need to succeed in life. Still others share a hobby or sport with us. Leisure time is very precious these days. How we spend that time says much about our priorities.

Fathers, what did you, or do you, do with your children? They watch and learn from the examples we set. If we spend our leisure hours focusing on “me time” activities and less on family activities such as going to church, family camping, or sharing a favorite activity our kids will likely grow up to share the same priorities in life.

Children, what do see when you look at your father? Most are just like us. They have good days and they have bad days; sometimes they are fun and others, not so much. Do you enjoy spending time with your father? Do you really know what they do when they go to work? Some jobs require great physical labor while others require intense mental focus. Both types of work can be exhausting. Just know that you are never a chore. Just coming home and sitting with family is the joy of being a father. The greatest gift you can give this Father’s Day is being present with each other. The memory of what you do together will remain with you both always. Make it a good memory.

Speaking of Fathers, did you know Father Rob has been with us as Rector of St Matthew’s for almost 20 years? Hard to believe! Also hard to believe is that in those 20 years Fr. Rob has never taken a sabbatical to recharge his priestly batteries. At long last Fr Rob will get a chance to do that. He will be enjoying his sabbatical from July 12 to November 20th. Rev. Mary Margaret will tend our flock while Fr Rob and Linda enjoy an extended trip out west.

Happy travels!

A grateful father,

Darrell Breed

Darrell and his daughter Rebecca Pepper at St. Matthew's Shrine Mont retreat, 2019.