Father[ing]

I was thinking of how I usually dedicate this day to my biological father. And while he's been foremost on my mind today, I did happen to take some time throughout the day to invoke the memories of other influential fathers in my life....and I need to acknowledge them today.

In my mind, there are lots of different fathers, father figures, fatherly ways, etc., so I went to one of my favorite online sources to find the definition of 'father':

• Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
  fa·ther –noun
  
  1. a male parent.
  2. a father-in-law, stepfather, or adoptive father.
  3. any male ancestor, esp. the founder of a race, family, or line; progenitor.
  4. a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; paternal protector or provider: a father     to the poor.
  5. a person who has originated or established something: the father of modern psychology; the       founding fathers.6. a precursor, prototype, or early form: The horseless carriage was the father of the modern         automobile.7. one of the leading men in a city, town, etc.: a scandal involving several of the city fathers.8. Chiefly British. the oldest member of a society, profession, etc. Compare dean1 (def. 3).
  9. a priest.
  10. (initial capital letter) Theology. the Supreme Being and Creator; God.
  11. a title of respect for an elderly man.
  12. the Father, Theology; The first person of the Trinity.
  13. Also called church father. Church History. Any of the chief early Christian writers, whose     works are the main sources for the history, doctrines, and observances of the church in the  
         early ages.
• 14. Ecclesiastical. a. (often initial capital letter) a title of reverence, as for church dignitaries, officers of monasteries, monks, confessors, and esp. priests. b. a person bearing this title.
  15. fathers, Roman History. conscript fathers. –verb (used with object)
  16. to beget.
  17. to be the creator, founder, or author of; originate.
  18. to act as a father toward.
  19. to acknowledge oneself the father of.
  20. to assume as one's own; take the responsibility of.
  21. to charge with the begetting of. –verb (used without object)
  22. to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally: Somehow he was able to               write a book while fathering.

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After reading the aforementioned, I smiled satisfactorily. Below is my list of 'fathers' I'm thanking and grateful for today:

My Dad, the biological one

My father-in-law

My Godfather

God, THE Father

The Fathers of my Faith

The Founding Fathers of the country in which I reside

The father figure I used to work for in El Paso (the doctor)

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Happy Father's Day