Guest Author - Diana Pederson

Importance of Fathers

This coming Sunday is Father’s Day. This holiday was established in Spokane Washington on June 19th, 1910. Sonora Dodd of Washington was raised by her father, a Civil War Veteran after his wife’s death. She thought of the idea of celebrating fathers while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon. President Calvin Coolidge wanted a national holiday for Fathers in 1924. President Lyndon Johnson issued a presidential proclamation proclaiming the third Sunday in June as Father’s day in 1966. It wasn’t until 1972 that a law was finally passed and signed by President Richard Nixon making Father’s Day a national celebration.

The United States all too often forgets about the importance of a father in the lives of their children. Thanks to today’s divorce rates, too many children spend only a few days a year with their fathers. It makes me wonder how many “teachable moments” where only a Father’s perspective could be beneficial are missed by today’s youth.

I looked for a special book that could be used to show your appreciation for your Father. The Embrace of a Father, by Wayne Holmes, best serves this purpose in my opinion. It even has a dedication page showing who presented this book to their father.

This book contains fifty-three true stories of fathers written by many of today’s popular authors. The book is divided into twelve topics. These topics are:

A Father’s Love
A Father’s Wisdom
The Discipline of a Father
Lessons From a Father
A Father’s Forgiveness
A Father’s Perspective
Provisions of a Father
The Comfort of a Father
A Father’s Fellowship
Trusting a Father
The Example of a Father
The Embrace of a Father

There are four to five stories illustrating the topic in each section. Since each story is written by a different person, you’ll find many styles of writing. Each story-teller writes from a different perspective. Their ages vary greatly too. Adult children’s perspectives on the importance of their fathers vary by age. It seems that as we get older, we appreciate what our fathers (and mothers) went through in raising us more and more. The viewpoint of those with children is different from those without children.

There is something for everyone in this book. It will make a delightful gift for your Father. Perhaps, as I intend to do, you could present it to your father instead of a father’s day card. My father will receive an amazon.com gift certificate tucked inside the front cover.


Wayne Holmes. The Embrace of a Father. Bethany House. 2006.