What Fathers Leave Behind
By: Nathan Fletcher I have lived long enough now to know there are very few things I know with certainty. Becoming a father is one of them. I have raised three children. I have stumbled far more than I have stood perfectly. I have spoken too quickly, held my tongue too long, lost my patience, found it again, celebrated victories, endured heartbreaks, and learned lessons that only time is willing to teach. There were days I thought my head would burst. Days when a calmer spirit would have served us all better. More moments than I can count when silence would have been wisdom. Others when courage should have found my voice. And years later, I have replayed conversations wishing not for different children, but for better words. Parenthood has a way of sanding away every illusion that you know what you are doing. One thing I have become convinced of: Raising children in church does not guarantee they will become kind. I have met people who knew every hymn, every...
