Thoughts on Fatherhood

I was blessed with two of the finest fathers I know. The first got stuck with me--I had no choice in the matter, but God knew what he was doing. This is the second year he's been gone, but I am left with a lifetime of memories of "Wild Bill" and the knowledge that he truly cherished the role of dad to me and my brothers. He was a good man, a good father, one of the best.

The second God chose for me, too, but first I had to figure it out for myself. As the old adage goes, sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. The reptiles were in great abundance on my trip down that path of enlightenment. God kept pushing me onward until I could finally see the one he had chosen for me had been there all along (we wont get into the bass-ackward journey my prince was taking at the same time). When we married, he knew he wanted 2 two children. I thought he really should want six. We split the difference. I think our four wonderful, charming, frustrating, typically extraordinary children realize (most of the time) how truly blessed they are to have him. His love for them is unconditional, his patience is rarely lacking. He guides, nurtures, worries, prays, and occasionally pulls them up short to knock some sense into them, because fatherhood is also delivering the messages they need to hear, not just the ones they want to hear. He is not perfect--who is? He works too hard. Loses track sometimes. But he knows the most important job he has also has the most profound and lasting effects. He sons will be better fathers because of his example. His daughters will know how high the bar can be set when choosing their own princes. And his wife, who shares the road with him, knows he is her greatest blessing on earth.

Men across the country today will be honored for serving in the role of "Father." Without getting into political discourse on what constitutes fatherhood (because let's face it, even the very essence of parenthood can be turned into a debate of ridiculous proportions), let's agree that there are many ways in which a man can find himself taking on the challenges of fathering a child. Let's just say thank you to all those who serve as fathers, pledge our support in helping them with that role, and acknowledge that it is one of the most difficult and important things a man will ever do. Father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, mentor, by blood or devotion, God bless you all. Happy Father's Day!