An appreciation: Have a happy Father’s Day
There's an old dad joke about the billionaire who charters a megayacht for a vacation in the Greek isles.
A full crew attends to him, including personal chef, pastry chef and sommelier. There's a helicopter perched on the upper deck. Pool and hot tub on the lower deck. Personal submarine in a retractable compartment below. An electronic library. Theater. Skeet shooting off the bow, driving range with championship-grade balls off the stern....
He leans back and takes in the sunshine, stretches on his cushy lounge chair, looks out at the ancient islands in the distance and at the blue, sparkling sea before him. He draws in the deepest, most satisfying breath of the freshest air the Earth has to offer.
“On a day like today,” he says, “who needs money?” We're not all lounging on the deck of a yacht but we're doing well by and large, as Americans, and it's good to recognize that it's not just luck. Father's Day provides a moment to reflect on those who hoisted us on their shoulders, literally and figuratively, who did their best to advance our dreams, who from the moment of our first breaths provided for us as best they could and challenged us to achieve great things and rise taller than they did.
America's fathers include not just the current crop of 75 million but those before them. Some founded our nation; others gave their lives in war, as our recent acknowledgment of D-Day's anniversary recalled; others advanced the limits of knowledge, to benefit all of humanity. Still others set forth and strengthened the values we share as individuals, families and as a society. Others just have been good dads and that's blessing enough.
If you're tempted to take any of that for granted, think twice – on Father's Day, at least. For this one day, do Dad the courtesy of laughing at his jokes. Then do what he really wants: promise to pay it forward by extending the support and encouragement he gave you to our next generations.
Happy Father's Day.