Father's Day 2015

It's Father's Day today and I don't have to think much about my Dad before I start smiling. He died nearly 40 years ago, yet I can still hear his voice. In my mind's eye, I see him doing a Jimmy Durante impression (Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!) or letting me snuggle up next to him in his  old “easy chair” as we watched scary movies while my Mom was at work. He was a clown … always the life of the party … the New Year's Eve baby … the guy who made everyone laugh.

I called him Daddy when I was little, Dad as I got older and Papa when I went to college and became oh, so sophisticated. When ancient, parsimonious Uncle Louis, the patriarch of our family, admonished my Dad that he was wasting money educating a “girl”, my Dad ignored him. I went to a private Catholic women's college at great expense to my family. Dad had a 6th grade education … leaving school to work, as so many kids did in those Depression days. He was street smart and a fast learner and he was intent that both his daughters would be educated.

He worked as a laborer in a steel mill … hard work and a hard worker.  Sometimes he worked three jobs to make ends meet, but I don't ever remember him complaining.

I was definitely a “Daddy's girl” and unabashedly used that to my advantage, as daughters often do. He was proud of me and worried sometimes that I was ashamed of him. We never talked about that too much, but I sensed it. How could he ever have thought I would be anything less than proud of him? My eyes fill with tears just thinking about it.

He was likeable and loveable and I'm sorry that David and our sons never got the chance to meet him. He died of a heart attack at age 51, two weeks before Brennan was born. He left suddenly, without saying goodbye. I talk to him still and I'm convinced he listens.

So whether we call you Dad, Daddy, Da, Pa, Papa, Vater, Pere or you're a son, uncle, brother, cousin or close friend who serves as the paternal influence and male mentor in the family … relax … enjoy yourself.  Happy Father's Day … and thanks.

Check out how other countries celebrate Father's Day.

P.S. - My sister, Lin, added her definition of "Daddying” ... It's going on kiddy rides, playing at the beach, shoveling snow, and being both a father and a child.

Celebrating Flag Day

It's Flag Day today in the USA. Celebrated every year on June 14th, this American “observance” day celebrates the adoption of the United States flag back in 1777. It also happens to be the US Army's birthday when the Second Continental Congress (1775) approved the forming of an army for “purposes of common defense” … read that revolution! Officially established by Woodrow Wilson in a 1916 presidential proclamation, Flag Day is not a federal holiday … no one gets the day off or anything. It does, however, recognize the importance of the “red, white and blue” as an icon of the United States.

Americans are a very patriotic people. We refer to our flag as Old Glory, the Star-Spangled Banner, the Stars and Stripes. We sing songs about it: “Star-Spangled Banner” “Stars and Stripes Forever”, “You're a Grand Old Flag”. Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, designed the first flag. Tradition has it that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress and upholsterer, fabricated the first flag just after the Revolutionary War, but historians doubt that's true. It was Betsy's grandson who introduced the notion that she was involved and there was no one around to dispute him, so the legend was created and survives. A hundred years after her death, artists were painting scenes of the historic flag-sewing event.

Flags were initially utilized by the military to identify troop location and provide signals and communications on the battlefield. At sea, the semiphore system was devised for communication between ships. Beginning in the 17th century in the great Age of Sail, ships customarily flew the flag of their nationality. Subsequently, displaying a national flag became a maritime law and internationally accepted.

Maritime signal flags, the nautical alphabet, are still used today quite regularly. Not only does each flag represent a letter of the alphabet, it also has an internationally understood interpretation. It's the reason we fly the solid yellow “Q” flag when we arrive in a new country. It signifies "My vessel is 'healthy' and I request free pratique."

It was only near the end of the 18th century that countries began adopting national flags. Today, every sovereign nation has its own flag.

A little vexillological trivia ... Vexillology is the science and artistry of flags and banners, from the Latin vexillum meaning flag or banner.

Most flags are rectangular. The flag of Nepal is the only non-traditional national flag.

The oldest, continuously used national flag is the flag of Denmark, the legendary Dannebrog which fell from the heavens and helped the Danes win a war against Estonia in 1219. The design was adopted as their national flag c. 1625.

Take a world flag quiz here!

and some American flag trivia ...

Robert G. Heft, age 17, is credited with designing the current 50-star American flag in 1958 as a high school class project. He received a B− on the project.

Symbolism of the US flag includes: 50 stars, one for each state; 13 stripes, one for each of the original thirteen colonies. Each color is symbolic as well: red for blood, courage and revolution; white for peace and purity: and blue for freedom and prosperity.

Additional stars have been added 27 times between 1777 and 1960.

Okay, I admit it. Once again, I've gotten carried away and a bit off the subject, but rest assured, we will be flying our national flag today. What about you?

The Power of MOM

There have been songs and poems about mothers since the beginning of time. She gave you life and nurtured you. She tucked you in, read you bedtime stories, stuck band-aids on your cuts and kissed your boo-boos. She baked cookies and made special meals because she knew your favorites. She brought hot chocolate to the ice-skating pond to warm you up. She loaned you money when you were a bit tight on funds. She told you family stories and sang old songs. She's been an advisor and a confidante. Sometimes the roles reverse and you have the privilege of giving some of that nurturing back to her. For all these things we are grateful. So whether it's Mom, Mother, Ma, Mere, Mama, Grandma, Nana, Abuelita or Yaya… or whether you're an aunt, daughter, sister or a best friend who's mothered and nurtured someone along the way … from here in Cape Town, South Africa … we salute you! Happy Mother's Day.