Fellars with Character

“When a fellars got character … he ain’t never gonna be nuttin but a whole heap of pure o-l-d joy to his momma and daddy.”

Gunsmoke’s
~ Festus Haggen,
Deputy Marshall – Dodge City

portrayed by

~ Ken Curtis,
Actor, Dancer, Singer & Western Performers Hall of Fame – National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (1981)

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Marriage: Walking the Aisle

My Wedding Day
a poem from The Bride To Father

“I think about the time,
Not so long ago,
That when I needed a helping hand,
You were the first to know
I think about the memories,
The good times we’ve shared,
I think about all you’ve taught me,
And how my broken heart you always repaired
Now as I stand here today,
And reminisce on the past,
I think about how hard this day is for you,How fast the years have surpassed
But as you walk me down the aisle,
Daddy, please don’t cry,
You know how much I love you,
And this is not good-bye
As I spread my wings and fly,
Look at me and know,
That you will forever be in my heart,
Even as the years grow
I think of today as a new beginning,
But my love for you will stay,
So walk me down the aisle Daddy,
It’s my Wedding Day”~ Lacey D. Karlek
Poet

A Wonderful Dad

“I had a wonderful father, and I couldn’t bear that television virtually ignored Black fathers.”

~ Esther Rolle
Actress & Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Special (1979)

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An Expression of Love

“Our attitudes toward sex have become warped and perverted and have deviated from its true function as an expression of love and a means for procreating.”

~ Russell Brand
Comedian, Actor, Radio Host, Author, Podcaster & YouTuber

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What Parents Have Taught Them to Do

“Is is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make the successful human beings.”

~ Ann Landers a.k.a. Esther Pauline “Eppie” Lederer,
Advice Columnist

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Fathers & Their Children

“I told them [the producers] I couldn’t compound the lie that Black fathers don’t care about their children. I was proud of the family life I was able to introduce to television.”

~ Esther Rolle
Actress & Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Special (1979)

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The Cornerstone of Liberty

“The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty.

Perusal of the sacred volume will make us better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands. The practice of morality being necessary for the well-being of society.

“He has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain.”

~ Thomas Jefferson,
United States Minister to France (May 1785 – September 1789,
1st United States Secretary of State (March 1790 – December 1793)
2nd Vice President of the United States (March 1797 – March 1801)
3rd President of the United States (March 1801 – March 1809)
Founder – University of Virginia

Heavenly Dad, Earthly Dad

“I believe the heart of the Heavenly Father is reflected in the heart of the earthly father.”

~ Nathan Lorick

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Dad’s Guidance & Protection

“When my father didn’t have my hand, he had my back.”

~ Linda Poindexter

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The Quality of a Father

“The quality of a father can be seen in the goals, dreams and aspirations he sets not only for himself, but for his family.”

~ Reed Markham

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A Father’s Words

“A father’s words are like a thermostat that sets the temperature in the house.”

~ Paul Lewis

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Who Taught Me to Value Myself?

“It was my father who taught me to value myself. He told me that I was uncommonly beautiful and that I was the most precious thing in his life.”

~ Dawn French

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The ‘All About Me’ Attitude

“To be a father requires patience, love and giving up the ‘all about me’ attitude.”

~ Catherine Pulsifer

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He Believed in Me

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: He believed in me.”

~ Jim Valvano

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Living in Gratitude

“My dad taught me that good health is all about living in gratitude.”

~ Mariska Magdolna Hargitay,
Joyful Heart Foundation – Founder & President, Actress, Miss Beverly Hills USA (1982),
Emmy Award (2006), Golden Globe Award (2005), Gracie Allen Award (2004, 2009, 2014),
Muse Award (2012), Prism Award (2007), Star on the Walk of Fame (2013)

 

Ordinary Men Turned Extraordinary by Love

“Dads are most ordinary men turned by love
into heroes, adventurers, story-tellers, and singers of song.”

~ Pam Brown

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Fatherly Love

“Fatherly love is the act of giving your life for the sake of someone else’s needs.”

~ Nate Dallas

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To Be a Dad

“Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.”

~ Anne Geddes
Photographer, Author, Lifetime Membership of the Professional Photographers of America Award (1997), The Charley Hester Award (2007), Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Lifetime Achievement Award (2009), Royal Alexandria Children’s Hospital ‘Children’s Hospital Benefactor’ Award (2009), Federation of European Photographers (FEP) European Photo Book of the Year (2010), USA ‘Best Books 2011’ Awards, Gold Medal for Best Coffee Table Book American Independent Publisher Book Awards (2011), Miami Children’s Health Foundation (2017), International Photography Hall of Fame (2017), The Steiger Award or Der Steiger (2018) & Most Innovative Children’s Photographer (2019)

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An Amazing & Great Family Man

“I want to be remembered as, I hope, an amazing husband and a great father.”

~ Jason Momoa
Film Actor, Voice Actor, Model &
CinemaCon Awards (2011)

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The Best Man, Husband & Father

“For myself, it’s trying to do my best in whatever I am doing.
At this time, it is boxing; then when I get home,
I want to be the best father, the best husband, the best man I can be.”

~ Sonny William “Bill” Williams
International Newcomer of the Year (2004), World XIII (2004), Samoan Sports Association Junior Sportsman of the Year (2004),
Nickelodeon Australian Kids’ Choice Awards “Fave Rising Star” (2005), New Zealand Professional Boxing Association (NZPBA) Heavyweight Champion (2012),
Chiefs Players’ Player Award (2012), WBA International Heavyweight Champion (2013), Jack Gibson Medalist – Sydney Roosters’ Player of the Year (2013),
No.9 in Ask Men’s Top 49 Most Influential Men (2013 Edition), RLIF International Second-Rower of the Year (2013), RLIF International Player of the Year (2013) &
Panathlon International Fair Play Award (2015)

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Being An Example to Follow

“I never told my kids, ‘You’ve got to work hard.’ I just worked hard, and they followed my example.”

~ Maye Musk
Model, Dietitian, Author & Entrepreneur

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Family Really is Important

“I think a lot of the problems we have as a society is because we don’t acknowledge that family is important,
and it has to be people who are present, you know, and mothers and fathers,
both are not present enough with children.”

~ James Earl Jones,
Emmy Award (3X), Tony Award (2X), Golden Globe (1970), Grammy Award (1970),
Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award (2008), Academy Honorary Award (2011),
Voice Arts Icon Award (2015) & Harvard University Honorary Doctor of Arts (2017)

Parents Become Popular Again When Kids Reach 20

“To all those mothers and fathers who are struggling with teenagers,

I say, just be patient: even though it looks like you can’t do anything right for a number of years,

parents become popular again when kids reach 20.”

~ Marian Wright Edelman,

Children’s Rights Activist, Author, President Emerita & Founder – Children’s Defense Fund, Candace Award, National Coalition of 100 Black Women (1982), MacArthur Fellowship (1985), Barnard Medal of Distinction (1985), Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa Bates College (1986), Albert Schweitzer Prize -Humanitarianism (1988), Jefferson Awards – Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged (1991), Boy Scouts of America Silver Buffalo Award (1992), National Women’s Hall of Fame (1993), Community of Christ International Peace Award (1995), Heinz Award – Human Condition (1996), Presidential Medal of Freedom (2000), The National Women’s History Project Women’s History Honorees (2004), Stanford University Rathbun Visiting Fellow (2011)

When You’re Responsible for Those Little Lives

“Having children makes you see the world in a completely different way.
When you’re responsible for those little lives, you can’t slough it off or forget about it until later.”

~ Linda Ronstadt,
Grammy Awards (11X), American Music Awards (3X), Academy of Country Music Awards (2X),
Emmy Award (1989), ALMA Award, Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2011),
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2016), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2014),
National Medal of Arts and Humanities Award (2014) & Consecutive Platinum Albums (8)

A Certain Kind of Man

“My father was a certain kind of man –
I saw how he treated my mother and his family and how he treated strangers,
and I vowed I would never make a film that would not reflect properly on my father’s name.”

~ Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE
Actor, Director, Writer & Diplomat
British Academy Film Award Winner, Academy Award (Oscar) Winner,
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE),
Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award Winner & Grammy Award Winner