Father's Day (or should it be Fathers' Day?) brought father-type ideas into my head. As the posting title may indicate, I thought of the many ways 'father' figures into our speech and lives.
The Catholic faith may hold the winning number for differing uses of the concept. The titles for priest differ from country to country, language to language. 'Abba' is the Aramaic word for 'father' and appears several times in the New Testament of the Bible. Literature has many phrases with the word 'father' in them. Without thinking at all I can name 'Father-figure', 'fatherless child', 'fatherless'.
And, of course, there are the real-world fathers, those men who helped give us life on this planet. There is no more poignant moment than when your own son becomes a father and you realize not only your mortality but also your immortality within the family tree. My dad, who was most definitely not perfect, lives on in me and my off-spring. Every day I sit in either of my dad's chairs, I feel a powerful connection to him still.
Happy Father's Day to every man who is either a biological father or a symbolic father. The world could not exist without either of you!
Ancora imparo
