Hey it is still a couple of weeks away but there is still time. When I was growing up we always made a much bigger deal for mother's day then we did for father's day. And I not not sure who made the bigger sacrifices so that we children could have the things we did. Certainly both my parents deserve to be recognized and we as children do so. Now that we are older Father's day seems more important but that may be due to the fact that Father is very sick and there is that horrible thought that there may not be too many father's days left for him. Mom is still going strong and seemingly getting stronger.

My father was a farmer like William Smart, the father who was responsible for the father's day tradition. Unfortunately, this is the most likely reason he is now as sick as he is. In his day the nasty chemicals that are now used on so many farms did not come with the stern warnings that the now come with and many farmers of his generation handled them with far too little respect. ( if respect id the correct word! Extreme avoidance may be better.) And many farmer of his generation now pay the price like my Dad is doing. Eat organic!

My dad never prospered as a farmer though he certainly had his successes. He eventually had to give it up and pursue other careers most of which he had more success with. As children our favourite was when he worked at the local garbage dump. He brought some great stuff home for us. The best was a wild puppy dog. ( No someone didn't throw it out, somehow he got one of the puppies from a litter of wild ones that were born at the dump. Most loyal and protective dog we ever had. Not mean at all unless you were not supposed to be on our property.) My Dad was into recycling long before most, supplementing his income and ours with his efforts. He was too successful at this as the owners eventually took it over. I do not think he ever received compensation for doing all of the leg work and getting it started.

His most rewarding career was a delivery person. I could never understand why he never wanted to get a higher position but he didn't. He got to talk to his customers and was a favourite of all on his regular route. He really enjoyed his work and I think that is worth a great deal.

My dad is not wealthy by most standards but he is happy even now and still enjoys life and was the only and best father I have ever had or could have!

Oh and he would love the gift baskets and since he has had too many bad ties and other bad father's day gifts over the years I am going to look into getting him one. He always had a sweet tooth!

Happy Father's day to all the fathers out there!

Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. Your father always gave you his best, so give him the best foods the world has to offer. We fill our Father’s Day gourmet gift baskets with the finest chocolates, nuts, wines, cheeses and fruits. While we provide pre-filled gift baskets we also offer you the chance to fill your own basket. You can create your own personalized Father’s Day gift baskets to give your father only what he loves.