Father’s Day is this SUNDAY and it’s time for us to celebrate some pretty special local Dads. During this pandemic, many Dads have pitched in overtime to keep things smooth sailing at home by shifting priorities to not only focus on their professional careers in a less than ideal environment, but also pitching in to help with homeschooling, childcare, cooking, taking care of their partner, and more!
Many Dads have also been on the front-line performing heroic duties with grace, and then coming home to provide much-needed comfort to those waiting at home. We are all experiencing unique circumstances, and Dad’s deserve to be recognized for their superhero status!
We partnered with local mortgage broker, Brian Cavanaugh for our first Dad's Day giveaway. Brian Cavanaugh is a local father of four (#feedfourkids), and he jumped at the chance to help celebrate all things dad! Each winning father is receiving a $100 gift card to support the local business of their choice.
In the final days leading up to Father’s Day, the Anchor will be sharing some of the special winning dads in our community. Originally, we were only going to feature three Dads but we decided to feature four because some of the entries were just too good.
Today, we are excited to announce our first winner …
Jim DeNapoli, Husband of Diane DeNapoli and proud father of Sean and Patrick DeNapoli
Here is the heartfelt submission from Jim's wife, Diane:
During these unusual times it can be hard to think about celebrating anything, especially holidays, such as Father’s Day. Traditionally, for Father’s Day one thinks about spending time with their Dad. In contrast to many other holidays the way to show appreciation for the loved one tends to revolve around participating in a shared physical activity. Maybe you go to a baseball game, take a hike, or one of the most sacred male tasks grill meat together brew in hand.
This year due to Covid- 19 and the perils of having physical gatherings we will need to adjust how we celebrate the fathers in our life. Perhaps this will force our hands to do the one thing that is most wanted and most frequently avoided by many men express raw emotions in words.
This Father’s Day I would like to publicly thank my husband Jim, for being a supportive and understanding Dad and husband. Ever since my oldest son was born, 14 years ago, my husband understood that Fatherhood was not a part time job. Due to both our children having disabilities raising our two wonderful boys has come with some unique challenges. Jim has met all these challenges with grace and humor.
My husband is not a man of flowery words but lives by the principle that actions speaks louder than words. Some of you may have seen my husband at church rubbing my son’s back through Mass. This action is very soothing for my son in the Austism Spectrum. My husband also has to remind my son, on a regular basis, that it “isn’t a bad word when the priest says Jesus Christ. But YOU can’t say Jesus Christ when you are angry”. These kind of nuances can be very tricky to navigate for someone in the spectrum.
Everyone you meet has a unique battle they are fighting. This Father’s Day let us try to just say “I love you Dad and thank you” for all the actions you take to show your devotion to our family.
Submitted by Diane DeNapoli for my husband Jim DeNapoli