June 19, 2022 is here. This year it’s Father’s Day. I lost mine a few years ago so all I have are memories. He did the best he could to raise me to be a good person just like I’ve tried to do with my children. The most important thing a father can do (my opinion), is to love his children, and their mother, and show it. It helps them to build a solid foundation for their lives. Moving on, it’s also Family Awareness Day, Garfield the Cat Day, National Eat an Oreo Day, National Martini Day, National Turkey Lover’s Day, and Juneteenth. If you don’t really know much about Juneteenth, here’s the short explanation: Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863, but it didn’t go into effect in Texas. On June 19,, 1865 after the war ended, Union General Gordon Granger read “General Order No. 3” in Galveston which said that all slaves were free in Texas. Former slaves started celebrating the event the following year. African Americans continue to celebrate this historical event and it’s now become a federal holiday. On this day in 1910 Father’s Day was celebrated for the 1st time. On this day in 1964 the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed the Senate by a vote of 73 to 27. This Act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Time to listen to the dead. James Gandolfini, aka Tony Soprano, died on this date in 2013. He said, “Those who want respect, give respect” and “You know my feelings: every day is a gift.” Next we have Koko who was a gorilla who leaned sign language. She died in 2018. She signed “I am gorilla… I am flowers, animals. I am nature. Man Koko love. Earth Koko love. But man stupid… Stupid! Koko sorry. Koko cry. Time hurry! Fix Earth! Help Earth!” Koko’s signing is on Youtube if you search on “Koko”. I’ll end with a couple of quotes from J.M. Barrie who was the author of Peter Pan. He said, “All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust” and “Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always try to be a little bit kinder than necessary?” Works for me. Abide.
