Earlier today, as the radio news rumbled and the tea kettle bubbled and the trucks whooshed past on the road, I felt a presence just beyond my vision.

As I peered out the window, a beautiful deer stepped round the corner of the house, stopping right in front of me. She stretched out her neck to nibble some flowers, and then, seeing me, I was sure she’d bolt away.

Instead, she straightened up and paused for a good long while.

All was suddenly silent and still. 

I tilted my head. She tilted hers.

I looked in her eyes. She looked right back.

Dear friends, may we see.

May we be seen.

***

There is no greater gift than to be seen by our own loved ones. Father’s Day is complicated for many, and yet we have all been fathered in some way – by family and friends and teachers and coaches and books and music and rivers and mountains. I am one of the very lucky ones who has a dad who taught her how to change a flat tire and how to offer a proper handshake and how to navigate life with resilience and honor. If you have ever cared for anyone or anywhere or anything with this kind of devotion, thank you. Your love improves our world.