[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 96 (Thursday, June 14, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7719-S7720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              FATHER'S DAY

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the Bible admonishes us to ``honor thy 
father and thy mother.'' Courtesy insists that ladies go first. Last 
month, the Nation honored mothers with Mother's Day. The ladies were 
treated to cards, flowers, phone calls, brunches, gifts, and sometimes 
precious handmade crafts from the preschool set. Retailers urged more 
extravagant manifestations of our love for our wives and mothers with a 
dazzling array of usually heart-shaped diamond jewelry, all of which is 
certainly deserved, even if not always affordable.
  This Sunday, June 17, the fathers get their due. Lumpy clay bowls, 
aftershave lotion and cologne, odd pieces of sports paraphernalia and, 
of course, neckties in remarkable fashion colors constitute the classic 
Father's Day gift for the man who has everything. There does not seem 
to be quite the same level of extravagance in the gift suggestions by 
merchants, however, perhaps because men do not wear as much jewelry, 
and golf clubs do not lend themselves to heart shapes. For that I 
suppose we can all be grateful. Still, I am sure that most American 
fathers will enjoy being the center of the family's attention on 
Sunday. Fathers will enjoy their brunch. Fathers will enjoy a respite 
from lawn care and other chores. They might even indulge in an 
afternoon nap, a rare luxury--a rare luxury--for most family men.
  Fathers deserve their day in the limelight. Good fathers are very 
busy men, and their contributions to the family merit recognition, just 
as much as their equally busy wives do. Good fathers work hard--they 
do--they work hard to provide for their families, but they also invest 
a lot of time and energy into the home. They often fulfill the 
stereotypical ``dad role''--they keep the house and the yard in good 
repair, even if it means tackling mechanical or construction activities 
for which they have little training. They spend countless hours 
coaching neighborhood sports teams so that their sons and daughters 
learn the values of teamwork, leadership, and good sportsmanship. They 
help with the homework and with assorted school projects, patiently 
helping to build foaming volcanoes or seaside dioramas. They teach 
children to set a fishing rod, paddle a canoe, ride a bicycle, or build 
a dog house. They urge their children to try new things to push 
themselves harder, to struggle, to win graciously, and to lose with 
honor. Good fathers want great things for their children. Good fathers 
help their children to achieve by letting them know that they believe 
in them. That is a lot to accomplish in a few precious hours between 
getting home from work and getting to bed each night.
  The great man who raised me, the greatest man I ever knew, was my old 
coal miner dad. I always called him my dad. My adoptive father was just 
such a good man. He walked to work in the coal mines every day, and he 
walked home at night. Tired he was, covered with coal dust. Tired as he 
always was, he always greeted me with a smile, a quick smile. And 
sometimes he had a cake, a cupcake in his lunch box, and he always 
saved the cake for me.
  He took pride in my school work. Even though I wanted to go into the 
mines like him, he always told me not to do it, but to do well in 
school instead. He did not want me in the mines, in those dangerous 
days of long ago. He wanted better for me than he had. And he put his 
energy into urging me to do better. His influence on me has been a 
resource for my whole life. He is the greatest man I ever knew. I have 
met with Presidents, kings, and princes. He is the greatest man I ever 
knew.
  I was blessed with a good father. I hope that everyone's father is as 
special to each of you. Fatherhood is a great gift. Fathers gain new 
responsibilities, but also gain the joys of having children. For 
children, to have a great father, whether he is one's biological father 
or one's adoptive father

[[Page S7720]]

or just a father figure who influences one's youth, is a very special 
thing indeed.
  It is certainly possible for a child to grow into a talented, 
accomplished, and good adult without the influence of a father figure, 
but good fathers and good mothers give their children an advantage. 
They give their children the security of knowing always that they are 
loved and that someone is rooting for them, someone is looking out for 
them. In that security, a child can find the confidence to try and to 
fail, and to try and to fail, and to try and to fail, and to try again, 
and to try and to fail again. It is a great and lasting gift that our 
fathers give to each of us, one that certainly deserves one day of 
recognition every year.
  So, Mr. President, I close with a short poem by Holly Dunn called 
``Daddy's Hands'' and a salute to fathers everywhere:

     I remember daddy's hands folded silently in prayer.
     And reachin' out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.
     You could read quite a story in the callous' and lines.
     Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.
     I remember daddy's hands, how they held my mama tight
     And patted my back for something done right.
     There are things that I'd forgotten that I loved about the 
           man
     But I'll always remember the love in daddy's hands.
     Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin'
     Daddy's hands were hard as steel when I'd done wrong.
     Daddy's hands weren't always gentle but I've come to 
           understand
     There was always love in daddy's hands.
     I remember daddy's hands workin' 'til they bled
     Sacrificed unselfishly just to keep us all fed.
     If I could do things over, I'd live my life again
     And never take for granted the love--

  The sweet love----

     in daddy's hands.

     

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