For the first time, I am posting a "best of The Dad Bod" episode. These stories of what it means to be a dad today are timeless. Three years and thirty-three dads later, I cannot imagine who I would be today without these dads' stories. These "best of" episodes are a great place to start, especially for new listeners. This one speaks for itself: John, Redemption of Dad.

In my mind, I imagine all of us walking through a rich, mountainous forest. As I walk my path, I can see others walking, too. Everyone appears to be somewhere in the middle of their journey where the end is certain but mysterious.

And then in the distance, I see a person standing at the edge of a cliff. They've reached the end. "What," I wonder, "does the end look like?" And perhaps more importantly, "What does the end finally reveal about the journey?"

I often wonder: What qualities of character found in my parents are absent in me - and thus from my parenting as well? Not for any specific shortcomings but simply because I am my own person, a product of nurture and nature; self determination and the human condition; dumb luck and divine grace.

It’s a quietly desperate situation. Character cannot be purchased, manufactured, or copied for distribution to the next generation. Unable to wrap my arms around something so big and invisible, I shrug my shoulders. “Greatness skips a generation” is my consolation, an ambivalent hope that is wholly dissatisfying.

Unsure what to do, I just did what I know. I interviewed a dad: Meng, My Dad.