Did you know this blog is actually Legacy DadS? Lance started us out; he's the main man. But there's Dante and Gary. Our profiles span the imagination. One's a professional warrior of the serious kind. Another is a commodities trader or something. The other is a retired cowboy. Really. Two fathers and a grandfather. Oregon, California, Illinois. We don't sport "diversity" bumper stickers; we ARE diversity.We're inviting you to peek in on our special occasion. After nearly a year of electronic connectivity, we decided to meet; the flesh and blood kind of meeting where a cigar and a beer and runs on the beach and a couple hours on horseback are our medium. We're not abandoning the two-dimensional cyberworld, we're just setting it aside to make our connection more real. We are having a bonding weekend as you read this; we're meeting to celebrate what we have in common. And there is one bonus issue worth telling you about.
In common is fathering--actually a passion for good and godly fathering. Also that we are serious followers of Christ who makes more indellible our impact in our family and professional lives. And that we value the opportunity to share our experiences, insights, and our hearts with guys (a few gals, too) like you. We sincerely hope you find our thoughts worth processing and applying in your real lives.
The bonus thing is that we are modeling a concept we want you to take seriously. Will you give it some thought? Maybe feed back to us. I'll call it "companion fathering." In fact, this very day I was writing the section of my book that talks about it. I'll spare you chapter four for now. Try this: We dads, especially the younger and newer ones, are immersed to our detriment in the "I can do it myself" syndrome of the independent wild west traditions of America. Good for some things, but not parenting. Grandfather no longer llives in the tent door or the farm just down the road. Where's the passalong? How does experience--good, bad--get written into the overwhelming task of raising good and godly children when everything, it seesm, is against it. When did heritage and legacy get dropped from family matrix?
True, our fathers may not be nearby, alive, or care all that much. And some dads and inlaw dads would be best left out of the picture, frankly. But by father's intentionally connecting with other fathers, both peers and "ancient relics" of another generation to learn, encourage, advise, whole new dimensions open up. Where the salty tang of early generational cultures is missing, uncles, in-laws, elders from church, a grandfather just down the street can make the mix of cross-pollination a way more rich life brew.
Yes, the blogosphere can be a big help in working out our legacy, but there is no substitute for abrasos and late-night sessions to add hope, even excitement, to the challenges of building a legacy that will be lived out in our children who will inherit a far darker, more confused, and less happy world than we were handed.
Well, that's the idea. We'll tell you how it came out. This here old coot is eager to saddle up. My fathering ain't done yet; it is an assignment from On High that is never rescinded. Best I make the most of it. Oh, and I'm not alone, either. I, too, am fathered by God.
Gary (the Old Coot working on www.generationalfathering.com)