06/19/2026
Did You Know? - Father's Day began in Spokane Washington
Father's Day has its roots in love, gratitude, and the devotion of one daughter to her father.
In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd heard a sermon about Mother's Day and felt fathers deserved similar recognition. Her own father, William Jackson Smart, was a Civil War veteran who became a single parent after his wife died in childbirth. He raised their six children with dedication, sacrifice, and love.
Sonora wanted to honor the extraordinary man who had shaped her life and suggested a celebration near his birthday. The idea grew, and the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington, on June 19, 1910. More than fifty years later, President Lyndon B. Johnson officially proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father's Day, and in 1972 President Richard Nixon signed it into law as a permanent national holiday.
Beyond its history, Father's Day invites us to honor the many expressions of fatherhood in our lives. We give thanks for fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, mentors, teachers, and all those who have offered guidance, protection, encouragement, and unconditional love.
Spiritually, we might also recognize what many traditions call the Divine Masculine - the aspect of the Sacred that expresses itself through strength with tenderness, wisdom with compassion, and a steady presence that calls forth our highest potential.
Just as Mother's Day reminds us of the nurturing and receptive qualities of the Divine, Father's Day invites us to celebrate the qualities that encourage growth, inspire courage, and lovingly guide us forward.
May we honor those who have fathered us well, remember those we miss, and recognize that these divine qualities live within each of us.
