Sometimes in life you take long shots. You know the odds, but you take them anyway and because some things are worth standing up for.

In February, I filed a civil defamation suit against my ex-wife. I did this not because I thought it would be easy, or even likely to succeed. I did it because I needed to preserve the truth, not only for myself, but for my son. I needed to try.

Yesterday, the court did what they did. No discovery. No trial. Another brick wall in a system that has made it clear it has no appetite for accountability or truth in this situation.

And yet, I am not disappointed. Not in the way you might think. Because in this long, brutal journey, I have learned something:

This fight is bigger than one civil case. Bigger than one ruling. Bigger than one court.

The real work (the work that still matters) is happening elsewhere. The ethics investigation into the professionals who contributed to this horrific situation is still active. And it matters far more than this one dismissal. If that investigation helps prevent this kind of trauma from being inflicted on another family, that will be a greater victory than any dollar amount or court ruling.

As I write this, we are also in the middle of Men’s Mental Health Month. A time when men are encouraged to speak openly about pain, grief, and forgiveness. Let me tell you: I’ve had to wrestle with all three.

I live with daily heartbreak. I live with flashbacks of what happened that September night when my son attacked me in a way I will never fully understand. I live with the silence of a system that has kept us from speaking to each other.

And yet…

I forgave my son the moment I left the hospital.

The very moment I walked out of that hospital battered and broken, my first thought was not hate. It was hope. A desperate hope that one day, my son and I could sit down together. Not with lawyers, not with mediators, but father and son. Face to face. To simply talk. To understand.

I do not want vengeance. I want understanding.

And I want my son to know this:

I always told him that no matter what, I was going to be there for him. And I meant it. I still mean it today, in spite of everything.

Shame on those who know better.
Shame on those who chose to insert themselves between a father and his child—who used their positions and influence to twist a tragedy into a weapon.

But here’s what they should remember: God knows too.
No matter how many lies are told – God sees all of it.
I pray that truth will bring its own punishment—and its own reward for those of us who stood in truth.

I will answer to my conscience and to my God.
And I can stand tall knowing that what I told my son was the truth:
No matter what—you will always have a father who will be here for you.

To My Son

Another Father’s Day is here.

We have not spoken since that terrible day. The court says we are not allowed to. But none of that changes one simple truth: I am still your father. I always will be.

I want you to know this: I forgive you. I forgave you the moment I walked out of the hospital. Not because I was told to, because you are my son, and a father’s love should not be conditional.

You and I both know that there are people around you who want this story rewritten. Who have built a version of events that serves their interests—not the truth. They have worked hard to keep us apart and to control what you hear.

Shame on them.
And may God see their actions clearly.

You should also understand this:

When someone is exposed to only one version of a story that is the only version they will learn to believe.

This is how propaganda works. This is how communist countries operate. They isolate people from opposing views and free thinking, and teach those controlled versions as if they are the truth.

You are smarter than that.
But only if you are allowed to think for yourself.

Right now, you are not being given that freedom. I trust that one day, you will be.

And there is something else. Very personal.

Ever since you first became a teenager and started getting interested in cars, I looked forward to one thing above all: teaching you how to drive.
I considered it a father’s duty and the ultimate bonding experience. I imagined the two of us in the car, taking those first drives together. Laughing, learning, sharing that rite of passage.

That was a dream I had my entire life. My entire life. I know now that dream has been taken from me.

You’ll be 16 soon, and I know that by now your mother and stepfather have likely been teaching you. It breaks my heart to know that I will not be the one sitting next to you. But even though that moment was stolen from us I want you to know this: I am still proud of you. And I will be thinking of you on that day.

That is why I wrote this book. Not to punish you. Not to guilt you. But to make sure that when the time comes you will have the full truth available to you.

I always told you: no matter what happens, I will be here for you. That promise stands today.

Someday, when you are free to think for yourself I hope you will read these words. You will find that your father never stopped loving you.
Never stopped standing in truth.
Never stopped wanting to share the life we should have had together.

This Father’s Day, I will be thinking of you. I will be proud of you. And I will be standing right where I always promised to stand: here, as your father. No matter what.

I love you. Dad

Why I Am Writing The Death of Parker Springfield

There are things I will never be allowed to say in court. There are things my son may never hear from me in person.

But I can tell this story, in my own words, so that someday the full picture exists, for him, and for anyone who has walked through a situation like this.

The Death of Parker Springfield is not about vengeance. It is about survival, truth, and hope.

If you would like to follow this story, and be part of making sure no parent is silenced without a voice, you can pre-order the book here: The Death Of Parker Springfield

A Final Note. For Now…

This post marks the end of the first phase of promotion for The Death of Parker Springfield.

The dismissal of the civil case gives me clarity—and more to write. I will now turn my focus back to finishing this story fully and honestly. When the next phase of promotion comes (with a full media tour already taking shape) you will have the entire truth in your hands.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far. Your encouragement means more than you know.

Now, it is time for me to write. And for the truth to find its way – one page at a time.

Happy Father’s Day.

And to my son. I will always love you.