Today we recognize those men who have the most incredible and important role in the world, that of father. A father becomes one of the rocks in our lives, from the very moment of our conception. A father’s active and loving presence literally helps to determine whether a child will be born, and the quality of that child’s life forevermore is tied to a man’s willingness to love and nurture his children. Most of us are fortunate to have had loving and nurturing fathers, and we take that fact for granted for many years, often not realizing the extent of a father’s love and sacrifice until we ourselves become parents.
Today, more than ever, we have too many gruesome examples of what life without a father does to a family, to the children and to society. Fortunately for us, we also have many examples of a father’s love and sacrifice, and the benefits the guidance of a strong man brings to his family, his children, and to all of us who spin around together on this strange Earth we share. 
A good and loving father is a foundation of strength and love on which a family is established, and it supports the growth of the family, and of the people who belong to the family. As a man gives of his strength, his love, his guidance, his wisdom, he builds something special and unique, something unrivaled in the world. He creates in his children the unlimited potential to go out into the world and thrive, to change that world, hopefully for the better. And most importantly of all, he creates the opportunity for his children to be strong enough to nurture and love a family of their own.
On this Father’s Day, I would also ask that we take a moment to honor our grandfathers, and remember the role they have had in our lives, and what they mean to us. Our children are now grown, and my ideas and images of my husband as a father have been relatively unchanged for a number of years, but in March, God gave me the gift of seeing the man I love glowing with joy as he held our first grandchild, little Sadie, for the first time. I held his hand as we watched her father, heart in his eyes, hold her up for us to see minutes after her birth. I have given a lot of thought to what kind of father my son will be, and how much pleasure my husband takes in being a grandfather. He so wants to be a good part of her life, he wants to be able to help her, to be a rock she can lean on, and a positive influence for her in a threatening world. And oh, how he wants to play with her!
Please share with us your memories of your father and grandfathers, those of blood and those of love. Today we honor the men who gave us our lives, and gave us their hearts. Happy Father’s Day to our Treepers. May you spend the day enjoying the fruits of your labors with those you love, and those who love you best.