By Chris Quilpa

Happy Father’s Day! I humbly dedicate this poem of mine to all fathers and grandfathers everywhere:

Today is a special day

To honor and pay tribute to you

Father — our role model,

Who sets a good example

For us to follow and emulate.

 

When we’re down and troubled,

You’re there to lend a hand.

You cheer us up and brighten our day,

You comfort us and give us company,

And inspire us with your life story.

 

You guide us and strengthen us,

Protect us from worries and anxieties,

Teach us life’s wonders and mysteries,

Life’s uncertainties, changes and challenges…

 

Father, we thank you

For the life and love, joy and patience

You share with us each and every day

And the support you provide us

Into our home, our family.

 

From Psalm 103:13, we read, “A father has compassion on his children….”

From a church bulletin, I remember these lines: “A father loves his children, just as they are. He cares enough to give the very best — himself. When they’re in trouble, he’s there to help. When they need wisdom, he offers counsel. When they have successes, he rejoices with them. When they make mistakes, he forgives. He recognizes his strength comes not from human sources, but from Heaven’s grace.”

A father is God’s representative. “God bless father,” we pray. Why? Because if we want something, “Ask Father!” He is the source, the supplier, the giver (or refuser) of everything we ask of or expect from a father: to smooth our path, to raise for us a mountain from which to hurl our dreams, to build us a shelter against the harms of life.

We need encouragement and enrichment that only a father can give or provide. He is the channel of both the necessities and the fun things in life, like sports and games, travel, road trips and other activities that are a source of fun and enjoyment.

These enrichments and encouragements we seek from Dad or Papa with love. God bless our fathers and grandfathers!

Chris A. Quilpa, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, lives in Suffolk. Email him at chris.a.quilpa@gmail.com.