Father’s Day is Sunday, and once again dad is being honored for the role he plays at home and in society.
It doesn’t take a whole lot to become a father. That is just a natural physical act that too often in this day and age ends with conception when the male refuses to take responsibility for his actions and immediately runs and hides, refuses to pay for the birth or subsequent child support and may never be heard from again.
That is not the person who is the focus of Father’s Day.
A real “father” is just that. He is there through the pregnancy and often there at the birth. But that is when the true “fathering” part of the job really begins.
He is there to support the wife and the children. He, when physically able, helps feed the baby and change the diapers, he makes certain there is food on the table, he plays a major role in how those children turn out and may even be there to watch when son or daughter is playing Little League or does tumbling.
He is there to support the mother in her daily duties, but, more importantly, he is there when he is needed to help the kids with homework, help sons or daughters with problems as they grow up and there to lend advice and guidance and lead by example as the kids approach adulthood.
Ideally, he is there to walk his daughter down the aisle and to show his son what being a real “father” is all about.
Is this a realistic look at the father of today? Yes and no.
Certainly divorce enters in.
Certainly bad health enters in.
Certainly unemployment enters in.
But a real “father” is there when needed.
Dad lends support to all members of the family, whether they are all living together or not. He is there when he is needed for support. He is there when needed for advice. He is even there sometimes when a financial boost is needed.
And he listens. And he he remember what it was like to grow up.
Dad becomes happy when there is success within the family and he mourns along with other family members at times of disappointment and loss.
This is the Dad for whom Father’s Day is meant.
And to all those men who are there when needed, in good times and bad, one can only say, and mean from the heart:
Happy Father’s Day!
U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton had some interesting, informative and encouraging words for the folks who joined him at his recent town hall meeting in Meeker, where he addressed water rights issues, fire danger due to bark beetle damage and developing resources on natural lands.
“If the United States would do what it can to develop all its resources, this country could be energy self-sufficient in seven years,” was the most striking comment he made during the visit.
He spoke of the Emergency Energy Act that in part passed the U.S. House in 2012.
“This energy act is also a part of our national security, but the U.S. Senate just won’t let it get through,” Tipton said. “It is pretty amazing what we could do for the job market, for becoming energy self-sufficient, for driving the prices of energy down and for eliminating the need for foreign energy, but it is unlikely to happen.”
He also talked about the effects of sequestration on Northwest Colorado.
Tipton said the situation in D.C. is having a big effect in ways that are not usually visible to the average resident.
“We are finally seeing the BLM and U.S. Forest Service hiring people with good ideas who are more serious about multiple use of our lands,” he said. “We have some great people with the BLM and Forest Service in Northwest Colorado, and they are beginning to look more favorable on multiple use of the land and issues of land and water protection. The problem is still the pushdown coming from Washington.”
But due to sequestration, he said, the Bureau of Land Management is not hiring its seasonal workers at this point, “and seasonal employes play a major role on area lands,” he said.
He said he was also concerned about reports, that he said he understands as true, that farmers and ranchers in the West are being told that they have to sign all water rights over to the BLM or Forest Service in order to have their grazing rights renewed on BLM or USFS land.
“I understand that it is true and that this is already happening in Utah and a few other places,” he said. “This is absolutely not right, but I would warn leaseholders everywhere to look into what the circumstances are because it won’t be long until it is happening here.”
Tipton also decried Colorado State Senate Bill 13-252, which will bring major increased costs to consumers of electricity in rural parts of the state. He said he had urged Gov. John Hickenlooper to veto the measure, but Hickenlooper has since signed the legislation.
“I think it is unimaginable that the governor would even think of raising the cost of power to rural communities,” he said. “Once again it looks like the state of the Front Range won again.”
It was good to see Tipton in Meeker and a shame that only 12 persons were in attendance. I can speak from experience that in a lot of places, the electorate never sees the state representatives or state senators except at election time.
There is no greater way to keep alive the memories of the men and women from Rio Blanco County who, through the history of our country, served in the Armed Forces.
The Rio Blanco County Veterans Memorial, which is involving efforts from Meeker VFW Post No 5843 as well as Rangely VFW Post No. 5261, is a great joint effort when community donations and in-kind work are added.
From the Civil War up through the Gulf War, men and women from this county have put their lives and limbs on the line so we can live with the freedoms we have and enjoy the lives that come with those freedoms.
It is so easy to forget those men and women as they disappear to other parts of the world. Sure, we hear the big news from these war-torn areas, but we don’t hear of the day-to-day sacrifices of our family members, friends and acquaintances who head off for foreign lands so we may live better life here.
Often we don’t even know when one of our neighbors has departed for duty in another country or know until months later that they have returned. These are the silent soldiers, medics, nurses, etc., who play a major role in the successes we have in those foreign lands. But we will never hear what it was for each of those individuals — whether alive and serving now or those who have served and passed on — and the personal pains and agonies they went through.
A salute to all of those who have served in any of the branches of service. We owe you more than we will ever realize, and the Rio Blanco County Veterans Memorial will go just one more step in making certain we will never forget!
