At the beginning and end of every day, I face myself; I am unmasked.
The voices of children clamoring for attention are silenced, and the strength of my husband is distant.
I stand in the bright, unforgiving light that underscores the marks of time – those lines that map the road of my life.
I’ve been traveling this road for over four decades, and it stretches out before me still, as misty and twisted as it ever was. I have no more idea what lies ahead than I had at the beginning of the journey, but I know what lies behind.
Deep within the hard, cold surface of the glass is a lifetime of love and support — of dreams realized and others lost.
Behind me is a tiny girl who cannot tie her shoes. She struggles with the loops, as a patient voice explains… tireless hands demonstrate….
There is shared laughter and joy.
Behind me is a voice on the telephone. Thousands of miles away, he listens without judging when someone has died… or a marriage has ended…
There are shared tears and anguish.
A figure stands at every difficult turn in the road already walked, steadying my balance, helping me back to my feet, and even guiding me back when I wandered. When the road was wide and clear, he walked beside me in shared wonder and delight.
In the gray, uncharted distance still ahead are perils and traps, joy and laughter — but I stride forward hopefully and fearlessly. The winding path of my future is already blazed; signposts were erected long ago, even as I took my early, hesitant, unsteady steps at the trailhead.
The image blurs, and I see myself — but I am not alone.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad.