Tragedy Plants A Dream of Hope!
Nine years ago I had walked through an unexpected divorce, which left me deeply wounded, and with the ever-present feelings that I was a failure. Many nights I had laid in a fetal position weeping from the deepest parts of my being, crying out to God not understanding what had happened and asking “why?” I thought that things would be different for me and that I would break the chain of divorce that flowed through my family history. I was completely wrong to think that I would be shielded from such heartbreak and the event made me feel as though I had just lost everything. Something happens to a man when he is stripped to the core of who he is. Any masks that I wore to cover parts of who I was were no longer available to me. I felt alone!
To add to the mix I had a baby boy of only six months old and without a model of fathering growing up, I was scared and wondered how I was going to take care of this precious little boy. It literally broke my heart thinking that my son would grow up in a divorced home and experience the separation that I had experienced as a young boy.
In the midst of my confusion and pain I made the commitment to myself that I would do everything that I could to lessen the impact of divorce in my sons life and would make sure that he would know me, know that I loved him and that I would always be by his side no matter what the cost. I was committed to doing everything that I could to make sure that he did not experience the sense of immense loss from having a half-hearted father that I had experienced as a boy. I knew that the task that lay ahead of me would be filled with blood, sweat and tears but would also bring me great amounts of joy. As the months passed and my heart began to somewhat settle to the fact that I was going to be a single parent I thought that it would be a good idea to try to find resources on single parenting for dads. I needed all the help that I could get!
There I was standing in the parenting isle of the local large chain bookstore searching for any book that would speak to my heart regarding single fathering. I was completely shocked and dismayed as I soon discovered that I would find nothing in the shelves that would meet my needs nor bring comfort to my aching heart. There were plenty of resources for mothers and some on single parenting but I did not have the time or the desire to read a 200-page dictation on the art of single parenting. I don’t know of any man who felt that his life had just been wrecked that would.
It was that moment in the isle of the book store where the seed was planted that a book was needed that would speak to mens hearts. So, the journey of not only single fatherhood but the creation of American Daddy, A Father’s Heart Revealed began!
Maybe some of you have faced a similar tragedy that just rocked your world and stripped you from the core of who you are as a man. But, something wonderful was birthed from that time of heartbreak and sorrow.
I would love to hear your story and what dream was birthed from within you. We all need stories of encouragement and to hear stories of hope. Maybe, some of you just need to be encouraged right now. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
