Happy Father's Day!

what makes a good father?

first, I think, is commitment,

commitment to the baby, well before eyes can meet,

well before the smile can melt you,

can call you to dance, to perform, to nurture. . .

it’s the bundle of potential in the dawning self that you love,

well before personality can reveal itself,

unconditional love, focused,

then the key is to see truly the personality releasing itself to the world,

to appreciate it, to cheer its successes,

to help it reconfigure when a strategy doesn’t work,

to be a champion for the self revealed,

a guide when the ways aren’t clear,

to be a friend, 

a mirror who reveals the truth 

of the wonder the child is,

an anchor when that’s the need,

a goad when that’s the need,

and the wisdom to know which is needed when,

even to know that moment 

when love expresses itself best by letting go,

you, my sons, are good fathers,

I am in awe of the artistry with which you parent. 

Happy Father's Day!

by Henry H. Walker

June 16, ‘17