Yesterday I read the news, full of stormy troubles near and far.

Yesterday I studied a peony as it exploded into bloom.

Yesterday I witnessed a class of beautiful brilliant graduates stepping into their lives.

Yesterday I dined with dear friends.

The news was full of dread and fear.

The rest was full of love and hope.

All of it vital.

All of it true.

Dear ones, let us take it all in, the painful and the perfect.

Let us fill our lives with joyful effort.

***

There is no greater gift than to be blessed 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.