Toward Fatherhood

Last night I re-read a newsletter from Ransomed Heart. John Eldredge spoke of a generation of thin souls, anchorless and wafting, ghostly like silk curtains. So many of us lack the legacy of true fathers, family history, deep thought, personal suffering, and the ancient traditions that deeply root us in our world, that grant to all great men and women their quiet authority and beautiful, connected strength. Eldredge calls this quality “ontological density.” It is a weighty and a significant existence.

Eldredge’s words remind me of a desire I’ve noticed in myself of late, a need to move away from Nerf footballs and throwaway razors, toward hand-sewn boot leather and heavy-handled shaving blades used with a badger brush. I think about whether my sons will read the books I own, whether they’ll ride my 1500 Vulcan one day, or use my fishing tackle after I’m gone.

Increasingly, I want to invest in things that will last, to die surrounded by leather and steel, not paper and foil. In the end, I want these belongings to speak of me - a substantial soul, weighty with joyful memories and sorrow too, muscled from wrestling with significant thoughts and ideas, warmed by the waning firelight of so many great adventures.