Father's Day is one of those holidays that we generally assume will be a happy and relaxing day.
But like all family-centered holidays, it can feel devastatingly hard if your father is no longer with you or is physically unwell.
Emma Heming Willis, wife of actor Bruce Willis, opened up on Instagram last Sunday to say Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, while also keeping it real and wishing that her husband's diagnosis were different so that their family could fully experience the holiday.
Back in 2022, Willis's family announced that he had been diagnosed with aphasia and would retire from acting, but by 2023, his condition had worsened, and he was then diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
Willis and Heming Willis share two young daughters, Mabel Ray and Evelyn Penn. He also has three adult daughters with his ex-wife, Demi Moore: Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah. While it's still clear he deeply loves his family, his inability to speak and decreasing involvement in activities has taken an understandable toll on them.
Also understandably, Heming Willis wishes that could be different.
"Happy Father’s Day to all the dads living with disability or disease, showing up in the ways they can, and to the children who show up for them."
"What Bruce teaches our girls goes far beyond words. Resilience, unconditional love, and the quiet strength in simply being present."
"This photo says so much. Love deepens. It adapts. It stays, even when everything else changes."
"But to be fair to myself, these symbolic days stir up a lot. I’m profoundly sad today. I wish, with every cell in my body, that things could be different for him and lighter for our family."
"As they say in our FTD community, 'It is what it is.' And while that might sound dismissive, to me, it’s not. It grounds me. It helps me return to the acceptance of what is, and not fight this every step of the way like I used to."
"Today, let’s celebrate the bada** dads, those who are here, and those we carry with us."
"Onward."
You can see the post here:
Fans of the Willis clan empathized with Heming Willis.
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
Some who found themselves in similar situations shared their thoughts.
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
@emmahemingwillis/Instagram
Being celebratory on Father's Day and profoundly sad do not have to be mutually exclusive. Because of course we want to celebrate all the dads out there, no matter how they are able to show up.
But we can be sad when we know the day could be better, more beautiful, or more relaxing than it is. We can still show all the love while wishing things could be different.
We know this, but getting a reminder from someone as resilient as Heming Willis certainly helps.
