Sunday, June 17, was Father’s Day and families celebrated by taking their dads out to dinner or hosted a gathering at home. Fathers received cards with phrases of gratitude and many received gifts from sons and daughters. Through it all, it is fair to say that dads are the unsung hero of our time.

Let’s face it, who do you call with car problems or house maintenance issues? Next to Googling a quick fix, or watching a YouTube video, Dad is next on the speed dial list. If you’re lucky, Dad is there with a wrench in hand, ready to fix it, no matter what the problem may be.

He’s also there to “fix it” when things go awry in your personal life too. From being a little girl with a bump on her knee, to a teenager daughter crying over a boy, Dad is always there with a band aid and a tissue, mending body parts and broken hearts. For sons, he’s there with words of encouragement and advice along with life lessons that last into adulthood.

Montana dads are on the front line taking his kids on outdoor adventures, climbing mountain peaks and fishing in streams and rivers. They teach their kids how to hunt, and sit with them on cold, crisp autumn mornings waiting for game to come around creating special moments that offer a lifetime of memories. They also teach how to dress and butcher an animal after a successful hunt. As well as how to cook and enjoy that plate of venison during a Sunday evening football game with the family.

Yes, dads are beer drinking, hard-working and, sometimes gruff individuals. As the old saying goes, “still waters run deep”, and that saying can be said of a dad’s feelings as well. He may not always show it, but a dad’s love for his family —for his kids — “runs deep.”

They bait our hooks when we are small, they teach us how to drive and change a tire, and often show us how to be loyal, loving and stoic, not always with words but with actions. They provide us with security, strength, and give us all a sense of “place” just by being by our sides.

Hats off to our Dads! Whether they are just learning how to gently hold the soft hand of a baby or are holding the hand of their adult children with wrinkled, weathered skin, a Dad’s touch is special and sometimes, it’s just the thing we need to make our day complete.