If you don’t know what love is, it cannot be explained. The same goes for fatherhood.

My father has been dead for 25 years. My own stint as a father – the heavy lifting part anyway – ended a decade ago. Even though the part of fatherhood that involves taking care of a dependent child ends when the child grows up, being a dad never ends.

My dad was the least bigoted man I ever knew, and probably the funniest. I don’t know if those things are related but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were. Bigotry is a hilarious concept, if your humor runs toward the absurd. He was only a dozen years older than I am now when he died and it’s normal to make those calculations in your life. He had diabetes and high blood pressure at a time when their treatments were more primitive. His mother died when he was five, and when he was a teenager he fought at the battle of Okinawa, so he had to deal with things that took a heavy toll on him. I never did. He made sure of that.

I know a few people who lost their father in the last year, so this will be a poignant Father’s Day for them in many ways. Our fathers never really leave us though. Here’s Chet Atkins take on that theme:

You know, every time I look in the mirror I see my Dad
I think that's why this song means so much to me

When I was young
My dad would say
"C'mon son, let's go out and play"
Sometimes it seems like yesterday

And I'd climb up the closet shelf
When I was all by myself
Grab his hat and fix the brim
Pretending I was him

No matter, how hard I try
No matter, how many tears I cry
No matter, how many years go by
I still can't say goodbye

He always took care of Mom and me
We all cut down a Christmas tree
He always had some time for me

Wind blows through the trees
Street lights, they still shine bright
Most things are the same but I miss my dad tonight

I walked by a Salvation Army store
Saw a hat like my daddy wore
Tried it on when I walked in
Still trying to be like him

No matter, how hard I try
No matter, how many years go by
No matter, how many tears I cry
I still can't say goodbye