For My Father, and All Fathers

A Happy Father's Day to all fathers, especially my own dear Dad.

Even after about thirteen years of retirement, my dad is going strong. He and my mom just hosted a party for the five graduates in our family. He keeps in touch with all of his children via phone and e-mail, and when he's not helping one of us in some way (he is the handiest man I've ever met), he and my mother are volunteering their time at the local hospital and visiting shut-ins in their own parish.

I am proud to call my father a lifetime role model.

I borrow a quote from John Gregory Brown: "There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself."

Happy Father's Day to all of you undersung heroes!