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| Image from Real Skate Stories |
A Happy Father's Day!
(Or, "With Arms Wide Open")
I Just Want To
Wish You "A Happy Father's Day!"
I Just Want To
Walk So Tall In Your Honest Way!
I Just Want To
Be As Generous As You Were Hoping!
I Just Want To
Live, Like You Do, "With Arms Wide Open!"
I Just Want To
Be As Unconditional As You So Lovingly Are!
I Just Want To
Wish Becoming As Bright Of A 'Night Star!'
I Just Want To
Say "Bless You" For Never Giving Up!
I Just Want To
Say "Thank You" For Raising Me Up!
I Just Want To
Be So Strong In Your Gentle Way!
I Just Want To
Say, "Happy Father's Day!"
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"
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My Writing Notes:
The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: This poem is a reworking of a poem that I wrote for the 100th Anniversary of Father's Day, which was in 2010.
So, I decided to rework that poem and I publish it on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog in 2015, because I started blogging after the 100th Anniversary of Mother's Day, which was in 2008, so I was unable to publish a poem for the same anniversary of Mother's Day as Father's Day!
And since I did not get a chance to publish a poem for the 100th Anniversary of Mother's Day, I decided to delete the post for the 100th Anniversary of Father's Day and publish a poem for both Mother's Day and Father's Day the same year on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog.
Plus, this poem is also inspired by the song "With Arms Wide Open," which is performed by the band Creed, and was written by Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti from Creed. (Please see the hyperlink below for the video.)
And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."
This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com
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Watch "Creed - With Arms Wide Open" on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/99j0zLuNhi8
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June 19th, 2022 Update, Written On June 18th, 2022: Happy Father's Day, everyone! I signed a Father’s Day card to military dads around the world from the USO (United Service Organizations) today, June 18th, 2022, that I received via an email yesterday, June 17th, 2022, which stated the following:
Paul,
As a veteran and a father, I know how challenging Father's Day can be for military dads. Many of them are stationed far away from their families, sometimes missing their kids' first words and steps. They can't be at precious events like summer baseball games, graduations and dance recitals. It's not easy.
Military dads sacrifice so much to serve their country and keep us safe at home. We need to make sure they feel appreciated on Father's Day, so we set a goal to get 25,000 signatures on our card honoring military dads. We can't fill up this card without your help, so please sign our Father's Day card honoring military dads now.
[Please see the hyperlink below for the card.]***
During my time in the U.S. Air Force, I spent many holidays away from home. Signing a card may not seem like a lot, but trust me, any time I got a reminder that folks back home were thinking about us, it meant so much. That's why I'm asking for your help today in giving our service members that same support and encouragement.
Please, we need to get 25,000 signatures before Father's Day — and it's only two days away. Will you add your name now to help fill up the card?
Thank you for helping make Father's Day special for American heroes!
[Name redacted], USO
***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]
Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to military dads, "Happy Father’s Day. We so appreciate all the sacrifices you and your family make every day in service of our country and the freedoms we all enjoy. Thank you."
In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.
By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:
"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."
So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!
–Paul Whiting (written June 18th, 2022, revised June 19th, 2022, revised June 22nd, 2022, revised June 25th, 2022, revised June 26th, 2022, revised August 16th, 2022, revised November 18th, 2022, revised November 24th, 2022, revised December 26th, 2022, revised December 29th, 2022, revised April 11th, 2023 revised April 21st, 2023, revised April 27th, 2023, revised April 28th, 2023, revised May 17th, 2023, revised June 14th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)
[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'update,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'updates' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]
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June 18th, 2023 Update: Happy Father's Day, everyone! I signed a Father’s Day card to military dads around the world from the USO (United Service Organizations) website today, June 18th, 2023:
This Father’s Day, help us honor dads who serve. Choose from our list, or write something from your heart.
Thus, I chose to send a link to my poem "A Happy Father's Day!" from my "Small All White in the Forest" blog, as follows:
A Happy Father's Day! (Or, "With Arms Wide Open")
https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com/2015/06/for-fathers-day-happy-fathers-day.html
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., Small All White in the Forest)
"I am no barrier to its sun; the light and I are as one!"
Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to military fathers:
A Happy Father's Day!
(Or, "With Arms Wide Open")
I Just Want To
Wish You "A Happy Father's Day!"
I Just Want To
Walk So Tall In Your Honest Way!
I Just Want To
Be As Generous As You Were Hoping!
I Just Want To
Live, Like You Do, "With Arms Wide Open!"
I Just Want To
Be As Unconditional As You So Lovingly Are!
I Just Want To
Wish Becoming As Bright Of A 'Night Star!'
I Just Want To
Say "Bless You" For Never Giving Up!
I Just Want To
Say "Thank You" For Raising Me Up!
I Just Want To
Be So Strong In Your Gentle Way!
I Just Want To
Say, "Happy Father's Day!"
In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.
By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:
"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."
So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month! –Paul Whiting (written June 18th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised July 31st, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)
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June 16th, 2024 Update No. 1: Happy Father's Day, everyone! In celebration of Father's Day, I did a Google search for "Father's Day USO" and found the following USO (United Service Organizations) search result regarding Father's Day:
United Service Organizations
Celebrate Military Dads!
This Father's Day, help us honor dads who serve. Choose from our list, or write something from your heart. Select Message ...
And, after I read the search results above, I clicked on the hyperlink to the referenced webpage, the relevant text of which can be found below:
★★★USO★★★
12,000 signatures needed to hit our goal!
→→→→→4,809
This Father's Day, help us honor dads who serve. Choose from our list, or write something from your heart.
Select Message:
[ ] I'm grateful to all military fathers!
[✓] Happy Father's Day, military dad!
[ ] Thanks for being a dad, and a hero!
[ ] I support military dads!
[ ] Military dads rock!
[ ] Write Your Own Message
Sincerely,
First Name: Paul
Last Name: Whiting
Email: [redacted]
SIGN THE CARD
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Thanks for signing the card! Will you take a few minutes to complete a quick survey about supporting all of our nation's heroes?
From scorching deserts in Iraqi summers to frozen mountaintops in Afghan winters, our troops endure harsh conditions to keep folks like us safe. How important is it to you to support our service members deployed far from home?
[✓] Extremely important
[ ] Very important
[ ] Somewhat important
[ ] Not at all important
The USO gives our service members the support they need to keep their spirits up, from phone calls home to A- list entertainment. Do you think it's important to keep troops' morale high by letting them know patriotic Americans back home stand with them?
[✓] Yes
[ ] No
Hundreds of thousands of service members are currently deployed overseas, putting themselves in harm's way in dangerous combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. Have you or a family member or friend ever served in the military?
[✓] Yes
[ ] No
Our service members make incredible sacrifices to keep us safe, missing special moments like the first day of school or a baby's first steps while deployed far from home. How important do you think it is to help our troops stay connected to family back home during deployment?
[✓] Extremely important
[ ] Important
[ ] Somewhat important
[ ] Not at all important
A Navy lieutenant commander recently told us that USO Care Packages are a "constant reminder to those of us out 'in the sandbox' that we are not forgotten and folks back home actually care."
Now, as we work to deliver our brave service members a touch of home, we need to ask for your support.
It takes a lot of time, coordination and money to get our care packages to more than 175,000 service members who are away from their families, sacrificing so much defending our freedoms. The USO is not a government agency — we rely on the generosity and patriotism of citizens like you.
Help us make sure that we have the resources to support our troops. Will you please donate by MIDNIGHT tonight to send a little bit of home to our service members and show them how thankful you are?
[✓] Yes, I'll donate $25!*
[ ] Yes, I'll donate $50!
[ ] Yes, I'll donate $75!
[ ] No, I don't want to donate to support our service members today.
*[Blogger's Note: I selected this option—although I donated less than $25—because it's an option that got me to the donation webpage!]
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Support America's Service Members!
For more than 30 years, has been the USO's mission to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in America's military and their families. But we're not a govemment agency, and rely on individual supporters like you to fund the programs that make the biggest difference for our service members.
Donate today so we can continue to provide individualized support to our service members every day.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
[ ] $25
[ ] $50
[ ] $75
[ ] $100
[ ] $250
[✓] $ 10.00
And so, I signed the USO Father's Day card in order to "honor dads who serve." Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to our military dads, "Happy Father's Day, military dad!"
In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.
By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:
"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."
So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!
–Paul Whiting (June 16th, 2024)
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November 6th, 2024 Update No. 1 [My Writing About No Longer Being An 'Online Activist' In Any Way, Shape Or Form]: Due to Donald Trump winning the 2024 Presidential Election—and until further notice—I am no longer being an 'Online Activist' in any way, shape or form, which includes no longer signing petitions from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations, and no longer sending letters to my Representative and Senators in Congress, as well as no longer making donations to political, social, environmental and charitable causes. Full stop! I am also unsubscribing from any of the emails that I used to receive from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations. In fact, I am even cancelling all of my monthly political donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating organizations, as well as to the USO (United Service Organizations), in addition to cancelling all of my monthly news organization subscriptions, or news organization donations, because I am absolutely terrified of this second Trump administration. And I fully expect that democracy in America as we know will be over! So, I am choosing to not engage in any 'activism' whatsoever—plus, I am not even sure that I will be exercising my 'civic duty' by voting in any upcoming elections because, as a (formerly) donating and a (potentially former) voting Democrat, I totally fear the retribution of President Donald J. Trump. Full stop! –Paul Whiting (written November 6th, 2024 and revised November 7th, 2024)
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This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 261 was edited on November 7th, 2024.
"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
