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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., Small All White in the Forest)
"I am no barrier to its sun; the light and I are as one!"
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My Poetic 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 publish it this year, 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.
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 "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" 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 "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."
This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
https://paulwhitingwriting.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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October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 [My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!
And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:
[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before
However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:
Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7
Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 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
---------------------------------------------
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!]
---------------------------------------------
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 it 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!
P.S.: It's July 31st, 2025, and I feel like I need to provide an addendum (that is, "an item of additional material added at the end of a book or document, typically in order to correct, clarify, or supplement something") to this November 6th, 2024 'update!'
You see, a couple of days ago, on July 29th, 2025, I copied the text of this update to use as my reason for unsubscribing from a particular political email that I received that same day!
And so, I actually bothered to read this update—in order to verify that it made sense for me to use as a response to the request on this political email's unsubscribe page which stated, "Please tell us why you are leaving"—during which I realized there was a typo (that is, 'a typographical error') in the text of the update, as I have highlighted below, with the correction in brackets:
"And I fully expect that democracy in America as we know [it] will be over!"
Thus, I accidentally left out the word "it" in the sentence above. Hence, I corrected said typo on July 29th, the verification of which can be seen reflected in the addition of the date "revised July 29th, 2025" after my name.
However, as I got to thinking about the fact that I had originally said I may not be voting in any upcoming elections, I realized that, in fact, I did vote in Portland Oregon's Multnomah County Special District Election on May 20th, 2025, just like I usually do! [I always vote in every election (even 'special elections') and I always vote Democrat, which is why I was worried about voting in any upcoming elections given President Trump's clear disdain for Democrats.]
Therefore, I decided to write this "P.S." today, July 31st, as a way to clarify that I am still voting in elections (even 'special elections'), it's just that I am no longer engaging in any 'Online Activism,' during Trump's Presidency, as I explained in great detail above. (I hope that makes sense!)
–Paul Whiting (written November 6th, 2024, revised November 7th, 2024, revised July 29th, 2025 and revised July 31st, 2025)
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Blogger's Note: This is a follow-up to my 'November 6th, 2024 Update No. 1 [My Writing About No Longer Being An 'Online Activist' In Any Way, Shape Or Form]' that is located on my blog post "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," which can be found on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog. And that update stated, in part, the following:
"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. ..."
You see, I have restarted donating to organizations which support the U.S. Military, including the USO (United Service Organizations)—that I restarted donating to as of April 16th, 2026—which supports our Active Duty Personnel, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), in addition to Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)—that I restarted donating to as of May 25th, 2026—all of which support our Military Veterans.
So, for the complete updates (with any corresponding ‘My Writing About...’) regarding these restarted donations, please see my blog post titled, "My Point Of View On...Giving Charity And Accepting Charity," which can be found on both of my "Paul Whiting — Math Magician" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blogs, within which you can do a find-in-page search for the updates listed below by their label names (or, by their corresponding ‘My Writing About...' titles, where applicable).
These are the updates regarding my restarted donations to the USO on April 16th, 2026:
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1 (Follow-Up No. 1, Written On April 17th, 2026) [My Writing About How I Restarted Donating To The USO (United Service Organizations) As Of April 2026]
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1 (Follow-Up No. 2, Written On April 19th, 2026)
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1 (Follow-Up No. 3, Written On May 17th, 2026) [My Writing About How I Restarted Donating To The USO (United Service Organizations) As Of April 2026, Part 2]
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1 (Follow-Up No. 4, Written On June 15th, 2026, Which Also Discusses June 14th, 2026)
Theses are the updates regarding my restarted donations to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and to Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), as well as to Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), respectively, on May 25th, 2026:
May 25th, 2026 Update No. 3, Written On May 26th, 2026
May 25th, 2026 Update No. 4, Written On May 27th, 2026, Which Also Discusses May 2026
May 25th, 2026 Update No. 5, Written On May 27th, 2026
Now, to clarify something: I would normally also refer you to my blog post titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," which can be found on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog, for these blog post updates (and for the corresponding ‘My Writing About…’, where applicable), but I cannot edit this post anymore—for an unknown reason—as of May 11th, 2026. So, any editing that I have tried to do on this blog post, after May 11th, for some reason won't save...
…Although, on June 20th, 2026, I thought to relocate all of the 2026 updates from my original blog post, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," to my newer "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was, Part 2." You see, I had created that 'Part 2' blog post as a backup post, because there was a period of time when the original blog post kept being unpublished by Blogger for being too 'spammy'—I am guessing because of all the hyperlinks that I was providing for news articles that I was referring to my readers!
Anyway, that relocation of the 2026 updates seemed to have worked in getting the original blog post to be "editable" again, at least temporarily... But, then, later on that same day, I tried to add some additional text to the post and it would not save again! However, at least this time, instead of just saying that the "Update failed," it specifically stated, "The body is too large." Thus, I am assuming the 'unknown reason' that I stopped being able to edit the post on May 11th was because I had—apparently—reached some sort of blog post size threshold!
(So now, I am thinking of editing out most of the news updates, which I wrote on that original post, because those updates weren't nearly as pertinent to my "Online Activism" as was responding to the text message, email, and regular mail communications that I was receiving from various political, progressive and charitable organizations.)
In conclusion, then: for the complete updates (with any corresponding ‘My Writing About...’) regarding these restarted donations, I can now refer you to my blog post titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was, Part 2,” which can be found on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog, in addition to the above-mentioned blog post titled, "My Point Of View On...Giving Charity And Accepting Charity," which can be found on both of my "Paul Whiting — Math Magician" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blogs.
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June 21st, 2026 Update No. 1: Happy Father's Day, everyone! In celebration of Father's Day, I did a Google search for "Father's Day card the USO" and found the following USO (United Service Organizations) search result regarding Father's Day:
United Service Organizations https://action.uso.org» 1906_FDAY_M
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, I'm grateful to all military fathers! Read more
https://action.uso.org/1906_FDAY_M
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!
→→→→→4,810
This Father's Day, help us honor dads who serve. Choose from our list, or write something from your heart.
Select Message
Write Your Own Message:
A Happy Father's Day!
(Or, "With Arms Wide Open")
I Just Want To
Wish You "A Happy Father's Day!"...
-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!"
https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com/search/label/Father%27s%20Day
Sincerely,
First Name: Paul
Last Name: Whiting
Email: [redacted]
SIGN THE CARD
---------------------------------------------
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!]
---------------------------------------------
Donate to support our service members
Our service members keep our nation safe. And we work hard to keep them connected to home — but we can't do that without support from military supporters like you. Our heroes are counting on you to be a part of this important work for our country. So please, donate now.
By donating, you agree to allow the USO to use your gift, combined with others, in a matching gift fund. Your donation will be used where it is needed most.
Secure donation
[✓] Give once
[ ] ❤ Monthly
[ ] $350
[ ] $180
[ ] $90
[ ] $60
[ ] $35
[ ] $20
[✓] $10
Become a monthly supporter
Would you consider becoming one of our valued monthly supporters by converting your $10 contribution into a monthly donation.
Ongoing monthly donations allow us to better focus in our mission.
[ ] ❤ Donate $10/month
[ ] Donate $5/month
[✓] Keep my one-time $10 gift
Enter your details
First name: Paul
Last name: Whiting
Email address: [redacted]
Phone number (optional): [redacted]
Double your impact
Many employers have a donation matching program that will double or triple the value of your donation. Just enter the name of your employer, and we'll see if your impact can be amplified!
Your company (optional): N/A
Enter your address
Street address: [redacted]
Apartment/suite/floor: [redacted]
City: [redacted]
State: [redacted]
Zip code: [redacted]
You donate $10 USD
[ ] Cover transaction costs
Donate
And so, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website in order to support the USO's following statement: "This Father's Day, help us honor dads who serve. Choose from our list, or write something from your heart." ...
...[And I Chose To] Write Your [My] Own Message:
A Happy Father's Day!
(Or, "With Arms Wide Open")
I Just Want To
Wish You "A Happy Father's Day!"...
-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!"
https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com/search/label/Father%27s%20Day
Then, after I made said donation, I received an email from the USO today, June 21st, 2026, with the subject line, "Thank You for Your Donation to the USO", which stated the following:
★★★ USO ★★★
[Picture of "a soldier kneeling to embrace a child in an airport setting, conveying a message of reunion and support, with the USO logo on the left."]
Thank you for your generous $10.00 USD donation!
Dear Paul Whiting,
Thank you for your generous tax-deductible gift in support of the USO.
Donation Amount: $10.00 USD
Donation ID: [redacted]
Donation Date: Jun 21, 2026
Email: [redacted]
Your gift honors the service and sacrifice our troops make for us every day and will provide comfort and support to them and their families.
As a reminder, your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowable by federal law. And if there is a premium associated with your donation, please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.
If you have any questions or would like to contact the USO, please call [phone number redacted].
-Your friends at the USO
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—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via regular mail, email or text message. (I also donate for particular calendar observances, such as Father's Day!) Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage, 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! –Paul Whiting (June 21st, 2026)
... P.S.: By the way, I wanted to highlight the fact that the very first Father's Day in America was observed on June 19th, 1910! So, that's 116 years ago this Father's Day!
Father's Day (United States) from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia—which is funded primarily through donations from millions of individuals around the world, including this blogger (I make a totally affordable one-time donation if they are requesting donations when I am on their website):
"Father's Day is an annual holiday honoring people's fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It was first proposed by Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, in 1909. It is currently celebrated in the United States annually on the third Sunday in June.
History
Father's Day was inaugurated in the United States in the early 20th century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fathers, fathering, and fatherhood.
Father's Day was founded in Spokane, Washington, at the YMCA in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd, who was born in Arkansas. Its first celebration was in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised his six children there. After hearing a sermon about Anna Jarvis' Mother's Day at Central Methodist Episcopal Church in 1909, she told her pastor that fathers should have a similar holiday honoring them. Although she initially suggested June 5, her father's birthday, the pastors of the Spokane Ministerial Alliance did not have enough time to prepare their sermons, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June.
It did not have much success initially. In the 1920s, Dodd stopped promoting the celebration because she was studying at the Art Institute of Chicago, and it faded into relative obscurity, even in Spokane. In the 1930s, Dodd returned to Spokane and started promoting the celebration again, raising its awareness at a national level. She had the help of those trade groups that would benefit most from the holiday, for example the manufacturers of ties, tobacco pipes, and any traditional presents to fathers. Since 1938, she had the help of the Father's Day Council, founded by the New York Associated Men's Wear Retailers to consolidate and systematize the commercial promotion. Americans resisted the holiday at first, perceiving it as just an attempt by merchants to replicate the commercial success of Mother's Day, and newspapers frequently featured cynical and sarcastic attacks and jokes. But the trade groups did not give up: they kept promoting it and even incorporated the jokes into their adverts, and they eventually succeeded. By the mid-1980s, the Father's Council wrote that "(...) [Father's Day] has become a Second Christmas for all the men's gift-oriented industries."
A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced in Congress in 1913. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak at a Father's Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized. US President Calvin Coolidge recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation. Two earlier attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by Congress. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers, thus "[singling] out just one of our two parents". In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law on April 24, 1972. ..."
Please see the hyperlink below for the article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father%27s_Day_(United_States)
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This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 199 was edited on June 21st, 2026.
"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
