T
his was my first Father's Day as a celebrant, rather than layman, as it were. It is said that the father is the priest ofo the household. If so, I'm not holding my end of the bargain as well as I could be.
I shifted from being a self-oriented bachelor to being a married man and a father pretty quickly, all things considered -- I met my future wife almost exactly three years ago. I still have a lot of bad habits from days of moderated hedonism, and learning how to bear responsibility (both material and spiritual) with grace is taking time and effort. I'm pretty good at not showing it to my wife and son, but inwardly I'm constantly tempted toward my little personal time, my little personal hobbies, my little personal silence. Once upon a time, this was semi-acceptable, or at least tolerable; but that time has passed.
I got a lot of congratulations on being a father today. Now I have to step up to the plate and actually earn those kudos. The last thing I want is for the title to be nothing more than a word.