I finished rewriting the introduction to The Father I Am and posted it on the website at http://www.fatheriam.com/Chapters.htm .

            Overall, I am pleased with the rewrite but I am anxious for input from both those familiar with our stories and those new to it. My objective was to provide the highlights only and not overwhelm the reader with the complexity and depth of our story.

            I am also able to take a more sympathetic view toward Patricia. It is amazing what a couple of months of relative peace does for your soul. I hope I can complete the book before we start fighting again, or better I simply hope we never fight again.

            Over the last couple of months I joined a couple of groups on MySpace focused on domestic and family violence. The experience proved educational.

            The stereotypes still abound. The many of the men in the groups focus on the perceived anti-male bias in custody and family court issues. One lady remarked how horrible it was for Judge Jewell to threaten Patricia with jail for not paying child support when there were countless men who did not pay.

            There are stories of which the truth of the abuse hits like a stone in your stomach, where tears well up when you see what these people face. And there are stories which ring a little hollow. The horror of Family Violence is driven home in that the majority of the incidents occur without witnesses, without evidence that can be brought to court. The stories remind me of the difficulties faced by the System each and every day as they work for the protection of families.

            The experience strengthens my belief that I can help and that I have something to say.

            If you get a few moments, download the introduction and tell me what you think. Pass it around to friends and ask them to comment.