This Father’s Day, you may be among the millions of Americans who face the bittersweet reality of celebrating a father who is no longer alive. Holidays of this sort are especially poignant the first year after a death.
Whether your father was a protector, a fun buddy, or a stern authority, his passing has had an impact on you. The thought of Father’s Day may prompt an upwelling of grief or deepening gratitude. Or it might stir regret: there may be things you wish you had done together or had said.
This Father’s Day, consider these options for acknowledging the man you called “Dad”:
- Cook a meal in his honor. What were your dad’s favorite foods? Create a meal and invite guests to offer a toast to your father.
- Plant a tree or sponsor a bench in his name. Returning to this spot each year can be a great way to acknowledge the place he had in your life and heart.
- Get a Father’s Day card and write what you would like to have said to him. Or write it on a biodegradable helium balloon that you can release to the sky.
- Go over old photographs, especially with the next generation, and share stories and special memories.
- Visit his gravesite. Bring flowers. Perhaps read a poem or tell a story. You might record your visit to share on social media or with other loved ones.
- Take a father figure to lunch. Is there someone else in your life you look up to as a role model? Take him to lunch and rekindle that relationship.
- Honor a lonely father. Many older men are isolated. Contact a nursing home, senior center, or church to ask if you can visit and brighten the life of another dad.
- Ask yourself, “What would Dad do?” and go do it, with gladness.