Where Have All The Fathers Gone?: Daily Thoughts for Dads, Dads-to-Be, and Papas

"As a father to a child under one, I often wonder if I am raising my child correctly. I've read plenty of academic research, in the search to be the best father to my daughter, that shows what would be considered "best outcomes" for children. The common factor amongst all of them is that the kids that grow up to be successful have present parents, specifically present fathers. Where Have All The Fathers Gone, a book by our own Deacon Joe Grote, is a collection of daily thoughts and reflections aimed to help fathers of all ages, from someone like myself with an infant, to fathers of multiple children, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and even dads-to-be to understand the role of fatherhood that they have obtained. Each day has a theme, a thought, and a question to challenge the father to be a better dad than he was the day before. While I went into reading this expecting to have daily reflections that focused on fatherhood itself, I was pleasantly surprised when many days' reflection focused on the improvement of oneself instead. This makes me think of Matthew's Gospel when Jesus is teaching the Sermon on the Mount, "You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your own eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye". To be able to take care of others, we must be able to take care of ourselves and recognize where we need to improve. It is very easy to get caught up in the wants and desires of the world, to get stuck in the rut of everyday life, and to come home more exhausted than the day before. One thing that this book has helped me to do is to have the reminder, regardless of how bad my day was or how exhausted I am, to tell my family that I love them and to offer bits of self-sacrifice. So I'll ask you all, "Have you told your kids you love them today?"