The Chinese are credited for inventing this magnificant instrument for determining a northward direction relative to the earths' magnetic poles. But why does a compass always point north? The compass needle itself is a weak magnet that tends to line up to point its North pole toward the earth's north pole. On a map, north always points upward.

 Just as a child learns to look up to those persons around him for guidance, adults use the same upward gaze when thinking or reflecting on the higher places in another life. Similiar "magnetic fields" can be felt between two living persons when they hold hands in search of oneness, security, and love. The power of human touch is often considered a magnificant part of the theory of magnetism.  As we age, these meaningful memories of touch are used to ehance our  sense of self worth and happiness.

As another Father's Day approaches, I have many precious memories of my Dad floating around in my head. As I researched the creation of our traditional US Father's Day, I was intrigued by the following story of years gone by. About 4000 years ago, a young boy named Elmesu wished his Babylonian father a Happy Father's Day with a message on a card made out of clay. Historians don't really know what happened to either one of these people, but the idea of having a special day honoring fathers has been continued throughout international traditions. And so they should be honored for the countlesss times that they have held our hands protecting us from otherwise harms way. There are countless things that I learned from my Dad, but one that I believe was the rock formation of my level of perserverence involves a story about 4-H.

Having become bored with the cooking and sewing projects for my age group in 4H (at the age of 11), I wanted to move up to the next level of challenges, even though "they" said I was too young. However, with some persuation, I bought an old oak washstand at an auction with my own money for $15. I had to call Dad to come get me and it and my bike. And so, our adventure began. I was so excited and nervous about refinishing it to a quality that would be pleasing to my Dad. I worked and sanded each day that Summer waiting in anticipation for my Dad to get home from work. He would look at my work under the oak tree and feel it gently with his big hand, and no matter how hard I worked, he always found one spot that wasn't quite good enough. I didn't let this stop my pursuit of this project, all of his comments only made me try harder because within each comment was a hint of how to meet my goal. How to better fold the sandpaper or the correct 0000 steel wool to use for the final polishing. After many hours of work, I finally completed this refinishing project along with a handbraided wool rug, and hand emroidered tea towels. I was pleased when I was awarded the Grand Champion ribbon at the County Fair, but it was my Dad that was most pleased. I never will forget the hug and "You did it kido" I got from him. And of course, the smile that encompassed his face really showing his divine dimples. Stay tuned for Generational Love: Dads and Grandpas.