As many of us know, yesterday was Father's Day.  It is a day worth thinking about and celebrating.  It's a time to think about and, we hope, celebrate our fathers and, if we are fathers ourselves, to think about what that means and, we hope, to celebrate being one.  All of us are aware, of course, that not everyone has had a positive experience with his or her father, and for this I am very, very sorry.  Moreover, all of us fathers out there have regrets, some a few, some many, about the manner in which we raised (or are still raising) our children.  None of us is perfect.
     I lost my father, very unexpectedly, many decades ago, to a heart attack.  It was shocking then, and it still is today.  Why did Dad have to go so soon?  Happily, however, I have many, many wonderful memories of my father.  I owe so much to him, not just for taking care of me materially, which he did in abundance, but even more for being such a splendid picture of what life could be.  Dad embodied for me life's astonishing potential, always encouraging me to consider the nearly endless possibilities of existence.  With Dad behind me, I felt as if I could do anything.  His simple words, "Do your best," still resonate with me today.  He was a father, yes, but he was also a friend, a friend whom I miss every single day.
     I am so thankful to God for Dad, so grateful for the workings of God's loving vision through which he came into the world.  Having Dad in my life testifies amply to the enduring goodness of God.  Confused sinners that we are, God still looks after us.  His love, expressed so clearly in Jesus Christ, seeks everyone.
     Thanks, God, for Dad, and thanks, Dad, for being my Dad.