Father’s Day is an opportunity to express gratitude to those who, every day, uphold a world for their children where love and protection still exist.
For many families, today is not a festive morning. Instead, it is a brief phone call from the front line. A message from evacuation. A child’s drawing carried close to the heart. A backpack packed in haste. A child asking, “When will we go home?” — and an answer that is difficult to say calmly.
The war has made fatherhood very tangible. Taking your family to safety. Finding a place to live. Explaining the loss of a home. Holding the family together. Being there, even when hundreds of kilometers separate you. Preserving tenderness in a reality that demands strength every day.
I thank the fathers who serve, work, evacuate people, heal, volunteer, wait, and support others. I thank those whose children fall asleep listening to their father's voice over the phone. I thank those who do everything possible to give their children a sense of security, even when the world around them is dangerous.
May every child be reunited with their father's embrace, free from air raid sirens, the front line, and separation.
Happy Father’s Day.