Including Others - A Tribute to Fathers and Verbs

Written by JoAnn Meyer

Father’s Day is Sunday. The single most consistent message I receive from my Dad, beginning with my earliest memories and continuing today is “I want to spend time with you.” He doesn’t say the literal words, but there’s never a doubt that whether he’s working or playing, he enjoys my company. 

As a child, we didn’t have a lot of discretionary income. My Dad wasn’t taking me to theme parks or on vacations. He included me with “Come on Jo, we need to pull the weeds in the garden.” He also asked for help to feed the cows and haul the newly bailed hay to the barn. I now know that at 4, 5, and 6 years of age, I was of no help, but my Dad made me feel important because he wanted to be with me. I was always included then, in my teens and today.  

My favorite was, “Jo, let’s sit on the back porch and watch the storm roll in.” I took this picture yesterday afternoon as my son, home from college, and I sat on our patio.  

Today, there is enormous investment of time, money and energy in search of inclusion and inclusivity. What if we stopped chasing the acquisition of these nouns and simply acted on the verb “include”, every day? Each of us can include someone from outside our usual social or professional circle with an invitation to spend a few minutes to provide input on a project or to join us for coffee or tea during a break.

I am not so naive to think this is a silver bullet solution, but don’t underestimate the power unleashed when people feel included and valued.

Happy Father’s Day.