June 2018

Greetings NNOA Family,

Welcome to the Jubilant month of June! This month we celebrate and honor our faithful Fathers, whose shoulders we stand upon and without their thoughtful words of encouragement and prayers many of us would not be where we are today. I remember growing up seeing my Father leaving for work very early in the morning and returning right before supper. He was a hard working man. He worked with his hands, and I honor those hands for they are the ones which shaped me and gave my siblings and I the education and opportunities a generation before us never imagined. In 1996 scholar and author David Blankenhorn asked a question, “Where are all the Fathers?” He proceeded to answer this question in a book entitled “Fatherless America, Confronting our most urgent social problem.” In the book he chronicles the shift in American family lifestyle and values with the movement and momentum of the women’s rights movement combined with illustrating several types of Fathers. I am reminded of a verse “ He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.” – Malachi 4:6. The minor prophet shared this oracle to remind them of the importance of family values and family relationships. All relationships begin with the blueprint of our familiar family dynamic.“Fathers play a unique and important role in the lives of their children. As mentor, protector, and provider, a Father fundamentally influences the shape and direction of his child’s character by giving love, care, discipline, and guidance. As we observe Father’s Day, our nation honors fatherhood and urges fathers to commit themselves selflessly to the success and well-being of their children. And we reaffirm the importance of fathers in the lives of their children. Raising a child requires significant time, effort, and sacrifice; and it is one of the most hopeful and fulfilling experiences a man can ever know. A father can derive great joy from seeing his child grow from infancy to adulthood. As a child matures into independence and self reliance, the value of a parent’s hard work, love, and commitment comes to fruition. Responsible fatherhood is important to a healthy and civil society. Numerous studies confirm that children whose fathers are present and involved in their lives are more likely to develop into prosperous and healthy adults. Children learn by example; and they need their father’s presence as examples of virtue in their daily lives. A child’s sense of security can be greatly enhanced by seeing his parents in a loving and faithful marriage.” —President George W. Bush

Fathers help shape our sacred journey. Their imperfet and delicate handprint in nestled within the fiber of our being, a fact from which we can never escape. There is liberty in knowing that regardless of what our relationships are with our Fathers that God is our Heavenly Father who declared “before you were formed in your Mother’s womb, I knew you and loved you.” Happy Father’s Day, you are Loved!

Fathers Hands-
Little ones need you
Little did you know
How quick time flies
How quick little ones grow
Five
15
25
Your voice sung alphabets and numbers
Hung the moon, stars and aligned planets
Taught me how to box, bike and tread water
Please do not let little hands go
For little hands are connected to big hearts
That forever need your hands to hold. – AMEN

Kimberly Cain, NNOA Chaplain