"Therefore I say to a son or daughter who has no pleasure in the name Father, 'You must interpret the word by all that you have missed in life. All that human tenderness can give or desire in the nearness and readiness of love, all must be true of the perfect Father- of the maker of Fatherhood.'"
-George MacDonald


This is my son, Jack.



Speaking of sons... My dad is kind of a waste of space. He never really did much for me (that's actually a pretty generous assessment). He didn't pay attention, didn't come to my wedding... I haven't heard from him in years, not even since Jack was born in March of 2004...

I guess what I want to say is this- There's nothing I can do about him. He's not going to change, never going to say he's sorry, not going to ever be anything I need him to be.

I used to think I was pretty stuck with that... but here's what I've found... and maybe there's some hope here for those of you with a Crappy Dad® as well.

The thing I have discovered is that there is redemptive value in my relationship with others, particularly my son. As I spend time with him, love him, father him, I feel the old wound healing a bit more, a bit more... day by day feeling less sharp, more distant. Never gone, but no longer sharp.

Doing for someone else what you wish had been done for you brings healing.

Seriously.