Post from my chapter in No Glory Without A Story

I became a father for the first time in 1985, amidst an era of great personal idealism and ambition. I arrived at that momentous intersection of fatherhood early and immature.

     About a year and a half after the birth of my first son, an opportunity arose for me to study at a prestigious college in Texas.  I went for it.  I was guided by a belief that I was going to make myself a better man, but there had not formed a connection to being a better father.  My son would visit me during summer and spring breaks and I would fly home to visit as often as I could.       

     I became a father for the second time in 2007, after a promising relationship with his mother came to an abrupt end. By then my idealism about the world and my place in it had reached its apex.

     If you are an active presence in the life of your child or children, I salute you and encourage you to keep the faith. Keep it up!  If you are not, my purpose is not to berate you nor condemn you.  Rather, my goal is to share lessons from my own experience and leave you some kernels of advice in hopes that you experience the greatest joy as a father. 

Regardless of the relationship context, fatherhood is one of the greatest joys that life can offer. Fatherhood is a tool, an art and a science that was divinely designed to bring purpose to the life of a child.