Why such a celebration?

Our mothers and fathers who grow us up with great sacrifice are two trusts of God to us when they are old, and they deserve more than we can do. Considering it was the Mothers Day on May 13 and it is the Fathers Day on June 17,  we wanted to take advantage of these days to revere our parents.

We observe on the world that there have been so many diverse cultures with different dressing styles, customs, cuisines, languages and gestures each, just like a field full of flowers with several colors. Therefore, we believe there are so many customs in each culture regarding respect to parents. In such an era when humanity and family values are being gradually forgotten, these values need to be promoted within the community so that our children will have a more peaceful and happy future. For this reason, this celebration of Mothers and Fathers Days will act as a platform where people will come and share their knowledge and experience about respect to parents in their cultures.

A unique study of different backgrounds

At the meeting there will be a couple of titles to talk about, and each of the speakers will give explanations and tell great stories from their own culture and tradition. We would like you, or any representative of your community, to share your knowledge and experience regarding:
-- Customs, proverbs, sayings within your community promoting/emphasizing the value of mothers or fathers or both;
(What your religions/traditions order or how they address this topic… For example, the holy scriptures have great emphasis that children must obey their parents which is well pleasing to God. Citations from the Bible, the Torah, the Qur’an and the other holy books would be a good start.)
-- Some of the ways children within your tradition once showed respect for their parents (ways/practices that have now been forgotten or have fallen into disuse), along with your thoughts on whether some of these practices should once again be taught to the children, or whether they no longer serve a purpose;
(In some cultures, when they are old, the mother and father stay at the home of the most convenient of their kids and are taken care of in high respect and patience.)
-- Examples/true stories showing the importance of respect to one’s parents, and demonstrating significant aspects of child-parent relations;
(A memory from an Iowan lady: Repeating familiar activities with my children and their grandfather… My father used to collect fallen walnuts from Water Works Park and keep the uncracked nuts in his workroom by his tool bench. My children always went to him when visiting to ask, “Crack Nuts, Gramps?” -They used to call their grandpa Gramps although his name is Bowen.- They headed to the basement where they cranked the vice to open the nuts, and then were helped to dig out the nut meat. This was their own special treat with Gramps, my father.)
-- Or another approach that we may have missed.

We are inviting people from churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and also from the communities who are originally from any other geographical part of the world. In other words, we want to host as diverse a group as possible, which will be also an excellent opportunity for us to discover how rich and colorful world cultures are in terms of respect for parents and the elderly. Each of these participants are supposed to make a little bit research, and try to remember the knowledge in their minds. You can also help your representatives to accumulate some great stories and prepare some conversation starters. But we would like to underline that none of the participants are supposed to be learned persons. This will be an informal gathering with everyday casual. And, not all guests are supposed to make a speech but they can just come and listen, too.

The format of the program:

After the welcoming remarks, foods and refreshments will be enjoyed. And then, a keynote speaker will address the importance of the theme for 5-10 minutes. Afterwards will begin the individual speeches part. Anyone who would like to speak, without coming to the podium, will first introduce their religious and cultural background and tell their stories and findings considering the titles I have suggested above. Whoever wants to add something can speak again. There will also be a poem recitation. Before the end of the program, people will have time for table conversations and discussions.

Shortly after the event, we will publish the transcript of the speeches via our web site, e-newsletters, and send to whomever wants it. This transcript will not include the identities of the speakers but just the facts they tell and the cultural background of them.

For RSVP please call 515-779-4867 or email to desmoines@iowadialog.org before Friday, June 1st.