Dear Dad: The Secret Story of Father’s Day

June 8, 2017
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June 8, 2017 Theo Brainin

Dear Dad: The Secret Story of Father’s Day

When thinking of your father, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Hard work providing for you when you were young? Tough love to make sure you did well in school? Or what about his old stories – past adventures that taught you so much about life? Every dad is different, but we can all agree that fathers can be true heroes: protectors, advisers, and even friends.

It’s Father’s Day this month, so today we’re looking at all things dad related:

The Mysterious History of Father’s Day

The first Father’s Day was celebrated in the state of Washington on June 19, 1910. Interestingly, there are two rival theories about the holiday’s origin.

The first story begins with a tragic mining disaster in West Virginia in 1907, considered the worst in American history, killing 362 mine workers. The story goes that in 1908, Grace Golden Clayton (one of the orphans affected) had the idea to honour all the fathers that had perished in this tragic accident. She persuaded local Methodist ministers to organise a church service, the nation’s first event to commemorate and honour those 362 men.

The other Father’s Day theory tells the story of Sonora Smart Dodd, the daughter of a civil war veteran from Arkansas, who wanted to honour her father. Her mother had died in childbirth when she was only 16, leaving her father to raise her and her five siblings by himself. In 1909, while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon, Dodd felt the urgent need for a special service celebrating fathers as well. Like Clayton, Dodd managed to convince Methodist leaders to dedicate a day in homage to fathers.

An Inspirational Grandfather

The idea of paying tribute to fathers is deep in Story Terrace’s DNA. Our founder, Rutger Bruining, had a very important person in mind when he started the company: his grandfather.

When Rutger was a boy, he loved listening to his grandpa’s stories. He would sit in a room filled with cigar smoke and listen to tale after tale while they played backgammon.

It was only years later that Rutger realised he had lost so much of those precious stories. The strong emotional impression remained, but try as he might he couldn’t recall the details.

Rutger was determined not to let this happen to his stories – or to anyone else – so he founded Story Terrace. You can read more about Rutger’s story here

Truly the ultimate gift – in time for Father’s Day

There is an old Yiddish proverb that goes, “When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.
So how about crying tears of joy with your dad? Story Terrace gives you the ultimate Father’s Day idea: immortalising the most important man in your life in his own autobiography, to share with family.

Here is a simple three-point plan to follow (tears of joy guaranteed):

  1. Purchase a Story Terrace package today, and receive our beautiful Gift Package in time for father’s day – complete with a luxury pen and notebook, and a wax-sealed welcome letter!
  2. Present the gift to your dad as a surprise on Father’s Day. What better way to show your dad his story matters to your family?
  3. Your dad will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reflect on his life with an attentive professional writer. As soon as 8-12 weeks later, you can present him with his very own ghostwritten autobiography, to share with family, friends and future generations.

Make this Father’s Day truly special with a gift that will last a lifetime! Now is the time to show love, especially on a day that has been celebrated for so long, and rightly so! This Father’s Day, don’t just write him a card, write him a book with Story Terrace.

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