Amazing Grace-My Chains are Gone.org: June 2013

Sunday, June 16, 2013

POEM (Daddy's Day)

Her hair was up in a ponytail,
Her favorite dress tied with a bow,
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
And she couldn't wait to go.
But her mommy tried to tell her,
That she probably should stay home,
Why the kids might not understand,
If she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid,
She knew just what to say,
What to tell her classmates,
Of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,
For her to face this day alone,
And that is why once again,
She tried to keep her daughter home.
But the little girl went to school,
Eager to tell them all,
About a dad she never seen,
A dad who never will call.
There were daddies along the wall in back,
For everyone to meet,
Children squirming impatiently,
Anxious in their seats.

One by one the teacher called,
Each student from the class,
To introduce their daddy,
As seconds shortly passed.
At last the teacher called her name,
Every child turned to stare,
Each of them was searching,
For a man who wasn't there.
"Where's her daddy at?"
She heard a boy call out,
"She probbably doesn't have one."
Another student dares to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,
She heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
Too busy to waste his day."
The words did not offend her,
As she smiled up at her mom,
And looked back at her teacher,
Who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
Slowly she began to speak,
And out from the mouth of a child,
Came words incredibly unique.

"My daddy couldn't be here,
Because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
Since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know,
All about my daddy,
And how much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories,
He taught me to ride my bike,
He surprised me with pink roses,
And taught me to fly a kite."

"We used to share fudge sundaes,
And ice cream in a cone,
And though you cannot see him,
I'm not standing here alone.
Cause my daddy's always with me,
Even though we are apart,
I know because he told me,
He'll forever be in my heart."
With that, her little hand reached up,
And lay across her chest,
Feeling her own heartbeat,
Beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
Her mother stood in tears,
Proudly watching her daughter,
Who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up,
For the love of a man not in her life,
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down,
Staring straight into the crowd,
She finished with a voice so soft,
But its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much,
He's my shining star.
And if he could he'd be here,
But Heaven's just too far.
You see he was a fireman,
And died just this past year,
When airplanes hit the towers,
And taught Americans to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
It's like he never went away."
And then she closes her eyes,
And saw him there that day

And to her mother's amazement,
She witnessed with surprise,
A room full of daddies and children,
All starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they saw before them,
Who knows what they felt inside,
Perhaps for merely a second,
They saw him by her side.
"I know you're with me Daddy."
To the silence she called out,
And what happened next made believers,
Of those who were filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,
For each of their eyes had been closed,
But there on the desk beside her,
Was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
By the love of her shining bright star,
And given the gift of believing,
That Heaven is never too far.

~Cheryl Costello-Forshey~

FATHER'S DAY PRAYERS

     Fatherhood has many challenges and hardships which every dad should bear with pride and happiness.How often do you take time to whisper a silent prayer to God for the health and happiness of your earthly father? This Father's Day, take this opportunity to seek blessings for your father with a special prayer of gratitude.
     Below are a few prayers that should describe all that you wish for your dad.

PRAYER 1
     Heavenly Father, in Your wisdom and love You make all things. Bless those fathers who have taken upon themselves the responsibility of parenting. Bless those who have lost a spouse to death... or divorce, who are parenting their children alone. Strengthen them by Your love that they may become the loving, caring people they are meant to be. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER 2
     Dear Lord, bless all the fathers in the world. Guide them to be good role models and loving to all their children. Help them to be a father like You are. Give them grace and patience to handle situations in a loving way. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

PRAYER 3
     Fathers everywhere, we honor you and wish to say... May God's blessings be with you in a special way today. Amen.

PRAYER 4
     Lord, please take care of our dads. Though they are brave and protective, they must also be frightened sometimes when money runs low and when we need things. Lord, when their hearts break because they can't do it all; please help us to let them know how much we love them and how much You love them. In Christ's Name I pray. Amen.

PRAYER 5
     Lord, I thank You for my dad. Please take care of him. He is getting older but he is still brave and bold. Please take care of him. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

PRAYER 6
     Thank You, Lord Jesus, for my dad who loves me. for my grandfather who cares for me, and for God, my Eternal Father, who made me and who is always with me. How blessed I am! Amen.

PRAYER 7
     God our Father, bless these men that they may find strength as fathers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a Spiritof profound respect. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

FATHER'S DAY POEM (Father's Are Wonderful People)

Father's are wonderful people
Too little understood,
And we do not sing their praises,
As often as we should.

For, somehow, father seems to be
The man who pays the bills,
While mother tends to little hurts
And nurses all our ills.

And father struggles daily
To live up to "HIS IMAGE",
As protector and provider
And 'hero or the scrimmage'.

And perhaps that is the reason
We sometimes get this notion,
That fathers are not subject
To the things we call emotion.

But if you look inside dad's heart
Where no one else can see,
You'll find he's sentimental
And as "soft" as he can be.

But he's so busy every day
In the grueling race of life,
He leaves the sentimental stuff,
To his partner and his wife.

But fathers are just wonderful
In a million different ways,
And they merit loving compliments
And accolade of praise.

For the only reason dad aspires
To fortune and success,
Is to make the family proud of him
And to bring them happiness.

And like OUR HEAVENLY FATHER,
He's a guardian and a guide,
Someone that we can count on
To be ALWAYS ON OUR SIDE.

INSPIRATIONAL STORY (A Father's Eyes)

     Jonathan's mother died when he was very young and his father raised him. They both shared a very special relationship. Jonathan loved to play football and his father, who was wheelchair bound, made sure that he was always there to cheer his son at every game.
     Although, because Jonathan was so small, he sat on the bench most of the time. But after each game, whether they won or lost, his father still told his son, "Good job, son. You did your best."
     Jonathan, inspired by his father, kept trying his best so that one day he will be able to play more on the field. Everybody thought Jonathan would never get the chance to play but his father always encouraged him to keep trying and to never give up. And one day the coach, seeing Jonathan's diligence and dedication, decided to keep him on the roster.
     One day during practice, the coach met Jonathan with a telegram. He was shocked to read the message. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Will it be alright if I miss practice today?"
     The coach gently put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son, and don't even plan to come to the game on Saturday. We'll be alright."
     On game day, Jonathan's college team was losing badly to the rival team. The coach and his players had all lost hope when they saw Jonathan coming towards them. He ran up to the coach and pleaded, "Coach, please let me in the game. It's very important that I play in this game tonight."
     At first, the coach didn't want to allow it, but upon thinking about it he realized that it may be good for Jonathan's grieving process if he were to play in the game.
     Once Jonathan got onto the field he was doing such a great job that their team began to score points. Soon they were catching up with the rival team. And finally the score was tied.
     During the crucial closing seconds of the game, Jonathan intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. His team members were ecstatic. The crowd came running towards him to celebrate the win.
     After the match, the coach went up to Jonathan, who was seated alone in the corner of the locker room, and asked, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"
     Jonathan looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you remember how my father was always at my games and he always cheered me on whether or not I was playing on the field?"
     "Yes, I remember how supportive your dad was." said the coach.
     "Well, you know my father died, but did you know that he was blind?" Just then Jonathan swallowed hard and forced a smile as he continued, "My father came to all my games but today was the first time he could see me play and I wanted to show him I could do it. I wanted to make him proud of me."

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." ---Revelations 21:4