Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday. This week is a bit of a love-fest, so if you're not in the mood for tales of true romance, skip to the bottom.

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1. "How can I begin to tell you about Chaz? She fills my horizon, she is the great fact of my life, she has my love, she saved me from the fate of living out my life alone." On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his marriage, Roger Ebert writes a moving love letter to his wife, Chaz. (Roger Ebert's Journal)

2. Good luck not getting choked up as you read this self-written obituary in which Val Patterson, who passed away last week, describes how much he loves his wife—and how much he regrets smoking and the time it will deprive him of spending with her. (Salt Lake Tribune)

3. Seventeen years ago, a farmer planted 6,000 oak tree saplings as a tribute to his late wife. What can’t be seen from the road—that they were planted in the shape of a heart—was recently discovered by hot air balloon. (The Telegraph)

* Had enough of that lovey dovey stuff? Here, watch David Beckham score a superb goal from 35 yards away. (Grantland)

Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.

Photo: Getty Images

* When Roger Federer won his seventh Wimbledon title on Sunday, Oxfam International received almost $158,000 as the proceeds from a nine-year-old $2,350 bet made by a deceased gambler. (Daily Mail via Deadspin)

* Junot Díaz, author of The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and this fall's This Is How You Lose Her, discusses how race influences his work and his debt to women writers in this insightful Q&A. (Boston Review)

* In early 2011, Mike Tetreault found out he might get 10 minutes to prove to the Boston Symphony Orchestra that he's one of the best percussionists in the world. Boston Magazine tells the nail-biting story of what it's like to train for the nearly impossible. (Boston Magazine)

* "When you really become a professional at this stuff, what’s important is how well you can do when you’re not inspired. If that’s still workable, then you have a career."—Louis C.K. is talking about comedy in this interview, but it could be applied to pretty much anything. (A.V. Club)

Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.

Photo: Getty Images

* Here is a photo of Prince William snuggling up with his dog Lupo at a Polo Match. Do you need any more information? (People)

* Adam Carolla started some trouble this week when he said that men are funnier than women, but it was worth it for this sweet, thoughtful (and, ahem, profane) response from Rob Delaney, who writes, "I learned there that the funniest thing in the world is not a group of men, nor is it a group of women. It’s women and men working together." (Rob Delaney)

* Just for fun: Thrill Murray, a Bill Murray coloring book. (Pikaland)

* "He taught me early that the value of a dish is the pleasure it brings you; where you are sitting when you eat it—and who you are eating it with—are what really matter."—Anthony Bourdain on his father. The full essay is truly wonderful, and is accompanied by some terrific vintage photos of the food writer as a kid. (Bon Appetit)

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This Father's Day, let's all take a moment to remember the Bert Dinces of the world. Okay, you might not have known Bert Dince but chances are you know someone like him. As his son (a digital marketing strategist named Adam) writes on his blog, Bert Dince "was a single father who raised his son all by himself.  An old yet gentle soul that was always there for those that needed him.  A humble man that rarely talked about himself.  And a spirit that left behind a legacy that I would learn much about after he passed away."

A musician and teacher, Bert Dince was an ordinary man, like most of our fathers, and like most of our fathers, also the most important person in the world. After his death, his son found himself calling all of his father's students to tell them the news, and "throughout each call, I heard stories about how my dad had influenced so many lives.  About how he helped his students uncover their natural musical abilities.  I learned that my dad was not only a teacher to his students, but also a mentor, a father figure, and an extraordinary example of unconditional love. I know there’s an old adage that says, 'You can’t be all things to all people,' but Bert Dince was." (Read the rest of the blog post for the moving story of what happened at the memorial service.)

"Each man's life touches so many other lives." So said everyone's favorite angel, Clarence Oddbody. (You know, from the Frank Capra movie "It's a Wonderful Life." ) He was talking about George Bailey, but he was also talking about Bert Dince, and he was talking about my dad, and yours, and everyone's.

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Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.



* Just in time for Father's Day, there's a sweet new StoryCorps video featuring Samuel Black as he remembers his father, a janitor who worked 16-hour days to provide for his wife and 11 children. (RauchBrothers.com)

* And here are six more lovely recollections of dads by their daughters. (O Magazine)

* Brighten your day by checking out what an adventurous toy Storm Trooper is up to. (George the Trooper)

* It's hard not to feel like a winner while listening to the special guest that makes every member of this wedding party sound like a champion. (YouTube)

Photo: Thinkstock

Children of hippies (or grown-up hippies themselves) will recall Marlo Thomas's 1974 album Free To Be You and Me, which memorably included football great Rosey Grier singing "It's Alright to Cry." Even if you didn't know who this big tough-looking guy was, you knew he was a big tough-looking guy singing, "I know some big boys who cry, too," and you knew there was something awesome about that. And if you are or live with a Boston Celtics fan or a Los Angeles Kings fan, you've probably had this song going through your head for last few weeks. For it is one of the great ironies of sports that its fans (and athletes themselves), who spend so much time valuing the super-macho and ultra-physical, are often also, let's face it, crybabies.

Bill Simmons, possibly the most thoughtful sports fan there is, wrote an essay on crying about sports for the site Grantland called "The Consequences of Caring." He writes about the first time his daughter, a Kings fan, cried over sports: "I remained sympathetic while being secretly delighted, like she had passed some sort of 'Fledgling Sports Fan' hurdle or something." This is an essay about caring really an extra lot about sports. (Simmons writes, "Of the 75 greatest moments of my life, sports were involved in at least 20 of them") But it's also an essay about a father and a daughter, and about really caring about something, and about caring about what the people you care for care about. (Got that?)

Simmons wants to share his love of sports with his daughter because it's such a big part of his life. He doesn't even care if she latches onto a rival team, because after all, "Sports is a metaphor for life. Everything is black and white on the surface. You win, you lose, you laugh, you cry, you cheer, you boo, and most of all, you care." He just wants her to care, like he does. And when he realizes that she cares deeply enough to cry, he knows that on this level they understand each other.

Whether you and your father root for the same team or for mortal rivals, how nice, how lucky, if you can share an interest, whether it's sports or politics or rococo frescos. Everyone should have something they care about enough to cry over. And having someone who understands that beloved something can be one of the greatest gifts there is.

Read More:
The Best Father's Day Gift Idea
Women Remembering Their Dads

Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.

Photo: Getty Images

* Justin Timberlake's legendary charm strikes again in this brief, entertaining interview: "I just made this conscious decision to appreciate what I do have and not wanting what I don’t have." (The Talks)

* Because no matter how much you love high fashion, it never hurts to lighten up, here is Seth Meyers' cheeky CFDA awards ceremony speech, including at least three laugh-out-loud jokes. (NYMag)

* Ever wondered what it would be like to live your life in silence? Read this fascinating email conversation with four Trappist monks. (The Awl)

* Philip Levine ends his tenure as poet laureate of the United States this week, but we think he's got a future resolving thorny dilemmas. "You need to see a shaman who can change who you are, and your wife needs to see a lawyer," he writes to a man who believes his wife ought to pay the bill for the cell phone he used to conduct an emotional affair. It only gets better from there. (NYTimes)

"A goal is arguably just a random something that is sufficiently far away. A caprice. But somehow, if taken seriously, if treated as fate, a goal can make an odyssey out of what would otherwise just be the small hours of life. One sets out to fulfill the prophecy no prophet ever professed, and the drama of how to get there from here makes meaning out of what might otherwise be just meanderings."
--From an ELLE magazine profile of one of our heroes, Diana Nyad, who will make another attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida this summer.

"Even a smile is charity."
--2012 Manitoba Humanitarian of the Year winner, Albert El Tassi, philanthropist and businessman, on how anyone can contribute to helping others.

Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.

* Marcel Proust, a man of many talents, is responsible for the ink-on-paper scribble at left. Melville House has a great roundup of other artworks by famous writers. (Melville House)

* NHL fans: Prepare to get a little bit tearful watching this roundup of the best hockey ads. (Co.Create)

* Raise the stakes on your day by watching Alan Rickman drink tea dramatically. (Kottke.org)

* Confessions from Chris Rock: "For years I didn't miss an episode of Sex and the City. That's probably not something a guy should brag about." (O Magazine)