Andrew and finding balance.

I'm going to skip Tuesday's sangha night, because Andrew seems to be needing me more these days. He seems to be going through something and I want to be there for him. He's very insistent on me being around, and seems to be tortured by my not being around. Soon, Tuesday night will be consumed by ICP, my going back to school, and won't be so optional. My spiritual life is very important to me, but I've sort of rationed 2 events a week as my sangha activity. If there are 3 in a 7 day period, I feel it's more optional. I need to get away to be the best dad I can be, but I also have to be careful not to think more is always better in terms of my priority of fathering. I take fathering very seriously, and my spirituality helps me to take up what responsibility that I do take up. If you subtract it, I would be less. I know Diana rightfully dislikes anything that takes me away from the family. Parenting has been a spiritual challenge for me. I was talking to my friends about their fasting, their chastity and other renunciations, and spiritual challenges. I think they have some energy to do them. I think I'm firing on all thrusters, I don't need to fast or take cold showers or renounce anything. I've renounced so much of myself by parenting, but in a way, the biggest conflict is with meditating, reading and spending time with my spiritual community. I work to find the best balance.