To the fathers, the dads, the daddies; the men who sired us, watched us come into the world, held us in trembling wonder in the hospital room;
To the men who tossed us higher than Mom felt comfortable with and caught us in their strong arms; who carried us in to bed when we fell asleep in the car; who strained their backs giving us horsey rides;
To the ones who went out to face a heartless world every day to support us; who struggled to leave work at work and switch to the daddy hat at 5:00; who fell asleep on the couch listening to us "read" when we were three.
To the dads who would sometimes rather have stayed in bed than earn our living, and would rather have stayed at work than rejoined the family at crazy hour;
To the men who told us to do our homework, respect our mother, suffer in silence, build our character by stacking firewood, and eat burnt toast without complaining because it puts hair on your chest;
To the ones who teach our sons and daughters to toughen up, to ride a bike, to take a fall, and to love their families so much that tears well up;
To the ones who dream of our future when we can't see past the present; who put money in our savings before we can count; who pray for us when we don't know what to ask for;
To the ones who answer the longings of the heart by telling their daughters they're pretty and their sons, "Well done;"
To the ones who strive and sometimes stumble, but still unfailingly point us to our heavenly Father, who loves His children with particular, invincible, all-encompassing love;
To the ones who taught us to persevere when it was hard, love when it was costly, keep going when it was tedious, and build character when that was the last thing we wanted;
To the ones who made us come home at 10 even when eeeeeveryone else could stay out til 12;
Who took their life in their hands to teach us to drive;
Who watched us grow up and then launched us into the world with trembling wonder;
A very happy Father's Day. May God bless the dads.
