Father’s Day. It’s a great day to celebrate the dads in our lives.

But this year I can’t help but think about my friends who are dads to children they will never hold.

We often think about the moms who have lost children. I see an article on facebook almost every day telling me how to talk to them, not talk to them, and what they are going through.

But what about the dads?

Where is their advocate? Do they feel lost in the background to the women they love and hurt for? Do they have anyone to turn to in order to express their anger, frustration, anxiety, grief, and loss?

I wonder…

I have too many male friends who never held their baby, only held their baby for a few moments, or only had a few short years to make memories.

And I wonder as Father’s Day approaches what they will think about…

watching his wife rock and sing lullabies to his child
dancing his baby girl to sleep at midnight
the baseballs that will never be thrown during a game of catch as the sun sets in the distance
letting his daughter dance on his feet at a friend’s wedding

Oh, it goes on and on just as it does for all the mothers. It makes my heart hurt…for both of them. It’s an incredibly helpless feeling when you can do nothing to take away the pain and hurt of a friend. But we can be mindful of what they are going through.

So this Father’s Day, I hope you will celebrate with joy and love your Father and the father of your children. I know I will be. But this year…well, this year I am also going to be more sensitive to those who instead of getting a World’s Best Dad mug might be mourning that he won’t be getting one.