Letter To My Son

There will be days when you wondered why you even got out of bed just as there will be days when you didn’t even make it that far. Life is hard work and life is a party. Most things that you “get” out of life will be from the approach you took first thing in the morning. A sunrise is a new beginning. Remember to think of each day as a new beginning. A good attitude will prove to be your most valuable asset. I do wish for you a little quiet time in the mornings before your day gets started. A little time to think about what it is you truly want. Some days you won’t know what that is and that’s alright. I wish for you the ability to get to know yourself better than anyone else. Perseverance comes from the inside and only you will know if you’ve got it or you don’t. You’ll feel better about yourself if you’ve got it so learn about where it comes from before you need it. I wish for you sweat upon your brow. I hope that you can wipe it away with a feeling of earnest accomplishment. I know you are not a manual labor kind of guy, but you can still sweat about the decisions you make. I hope that some of your decisions put you in a jam. That’s when you will learn about words like “fortitude” and “patience”. I hope that at day’s end you can look back at the choices you made and feel good about yourself. There is this little thing called confidence that can settle into the bones. It doesn’t matter how it got there, but it can sure carry you a long way. Be careful though, it has the ability to take you too far and leave you stranded, then you’ll need a good dose of humility to get you back. You were brought up with phrases like “keep it real”, “unconditional” and “I love you”. Take time to reflect on them once in awhile and remember where they came from and what they mean. Life is a cycle and if it is meant to be then someday you will have a little one that needs to learn involved words like integrity and respect. Whatever it is that lies in your future, I hope that you are enriched by your compassion and sensibility. I hope that you can look inside each moment and never feel compromised or deceived. The days will go quickly so take time out to prioritize whatever is meaningful to you. Twenty-one years may seem like a long time to you but someday you will look back on this day and be able to measure how much more you have grown. I hope that doesn’t just include intelligence and wisdom, but passion and fidelity as well. You are an amazing person Erik and it has been a life fulfilling joy for me that God has placed you in my care for the first portion of your life. Happy 21st birthday!