If kindness had a color, it would be the color of the sun; if it had a sound, the sound of rain. Accompanying another, without expectation of return, nameless and unpretentious, is an art that turns a person into a citizen whose existence heartens the world. Sometimes a warm word, a small encouragement, or even a companionable silence can make the dry soil of hope blossom in someone’s heart. To have a share in the joy and growth of others, even when they surpass us, is the work of great individuals.

A father is the symbol of this very greatness: for years he shines, he rains, he builds, so that another may grow, without a glance at his own shadow. We too can be the sun, shining without expectation; we can be the rain, falling without obligation.