on Father's Day

If we form our image of God largely by our father's influence on our lives, then the one I have is of a strong, gentle, wise, loving, merciful, generous, benevolent creator and caretaker quick to respond to pleas for help and stability in the face of adversity.  Thank you, Dad.

Our bambini are blessed to have a father who considers their needs, feelings, and the formation of their eternal souls in his decisions on their behalf and that of our family.  He is quick to hug, reticent to criticize, happy to provide some comic relief -- and able to discern the need for each of these in real time.  Thank you, my beloved.

The delight our bambini display each time my father-in-law appears speaks volumes about his influence on their lives and mine.  He brings joy, shares wisdom, and models devotion in his radiant smile and talent for merriment.  I am thankful to be his daughter-in-law -- one of his girls along with the lass and my lovely sister-in-law.

These hard-working men learned these fathering skills from men singularly devoted to them and their own families.  I am profoundly grateful for the gifts and sacrifices of self these men and their brothers in both familial relation and friendship make every day in service to their children, grandchildren, and spouses. 

May the prayers of Good Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus and guardian of the Holy Family, remain with each of you, and may his example always be a source of inspiration and strength.

In a special way I pray for those without such fathers to depend upon by whatever circumstance.  In this absence, may God draw ever closer by the care of others who might serve as father figures in one way or another, revealing his tenderness to those who so desperately need it.