Happy Father’s Day
Top Left: Recently, with our four incredible "children". Top Right: Father and son, many years ago. Bottom Left: My dad with his 4 grandkids. Bottom Right: Recently, our son, Theo, in between the very proud fathers.
Click on the image above to play the video (flip your phone to widescreen if you want image to be bigger)
Happy Father's Day!
Today is Father's Day here. I recognize different countries celebrate their fathers on different days. So, if this day is not relevant to where you rest your feet, take this spiritually, rather than literally.
Being a father is, by far, the highest honor ever bestowed upon me. It's not a job; it isn't really a "role,” either. It transcends labels and positioning. But it both defines and completes my very being.
It, of course, didn't just happen. It was always something I wished for,but, certainly, was completely unprepared for. But getting here took a large portion of luck, fate, determination, collaboration, and commitment. And boy, how lucky can one man be?
So, today, I first salute ALL fathers (and father figures) out there.
And, of course, I particularly salute mine. Without you, Dad, I wouldn't be here. And I know full well and appreciate more than you will ever know, the risks and chutzpah it took for you to try to have another child given the odds at hand. So, thank you. I love you for that and for everything else.
And to Jessica's father, Ralph, who not only made me a father but also helped shape the reasons why I am the father I am.
And to my children. Thank you for making me such a proud and happy father. You make every day special for me. You are a constant source of joy, but also a strong source of inspiration. You motivate me to keep improving how I show up in this world—both to you and now to your many children.
And to my three incredible sons-in-law who all bring their unique character and values to our family constantly showing us what true love is all about.
And while I am at it, here's to all the mothers, as well. Because without you, there wouldn't be any fathers at all.
As we head into Midsummer, I will now take a break from this newsletter. Many of you have asked me to slow down. I will truly try to. At least, relative to this newsletter. I will not post another full one until Sunday, September 10th. I might (but don't count on it) share a few quotes or inspired articles here and there, but no full writing!
I hope you all will have a wonderful summer. Please take care of yourselves and yours. Below are some of my favorite quotes about fatherhood that have inspired me for many years.
By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he
usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.
--Charles Wadsworth
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” When I was a boy of fourteen my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got the be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in the seven years”.
Mark Twain
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Every man is either trying to live up to his father's expectations or trying to make up for his father's mistake (not sure who said)
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To be a father – implies the Bible – is to teach a child to question, to challenge, confront, dispute. That things are as they are is in fact, not a value. Should it be so? Why should it be so? Only one who asks whether the world should be as it is, is capable of changing what is? That is why Marx was wrong. Biblical faith is not a conservative force. It doesn’t conceal the scars of the human condition under the robes of sanctity and inevitability. There may be – there is – divine justice in or beyond history, but God does not ask us to live by the standards of divine justice for if we could understand divine justice we would no longer be human.
Jonathan Sacks in To Heal a Fractured World
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”Erich From wrote a little book entitled The Art of Living, in which he distinguished between what he called ”mother love” and ”father love” (emphasizing that people of either gender are capable of both kinds of love). Mother love says: You are bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, and I will always love you no matter what. Nothing you ever do or fail to do will make me stop loving you. Father love says: I will love you if you earn my love and respect, if you get good grades, if you make the team, if you get into a good college, earn a good salary.
Fromm insists that every one of us needs to experience both kinds of loving. It may seem at first glance that mother love is good, warm, and freely given, father love harsh and conditional. But as my audiences taught me, and as a moment’s reflection might teach us all, sometimes we want to hear the father’s message that we are loved because we deserve it, not only because the other persons is so generous and tolerant”
Harold Kushner in Living a Life that Matters
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Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too
John Mayer
Lastly, if you are looking for something to watch, here is my TED summary from a few months ago with updated links to some talks. The green names are hot links taking you to the talks that have been released.
Happy Father's Day!
