Today—and on all other days—may we give thanks for the fathers, papas, pop-pops, dads and daddies who represent for us the steadfast presence that holds us in love and launches us into the world, whether we encounter it when we are small or already grown.

May we be mindful of those for whom this day is complicated or irrelevant or even downright ugly:

Some among us have no relationship with our fathers, for whatever reason.

Some of us have hard and broken edges separating us from our fathers.

Some among us have longed to assume the role of father and never had the chance to take on its magic and mystery.

Some among us have fathered in ways that will never be recognized or appreciated, that will never be counted in any official reckoning.

Amid the grief and difficulty of this day, may we remember to see and revel in the people of all genders who love
and support
and nurture
and parent
and father.

May our gratitude for the good and the healthy be a balm for the places of pain.

May it point us in the direction of more truth-telling and more healing, more love and more connection, on Father's Day and on all other days.