August 8, 2011
Dear Nathan
This is the first of many letters that I will be writing to you. None of us know how long we have on this earth, and as we grow and as we experience life we learn different things and develop different understanding of things. I know that you’re too young to read this and understand this now, and I don’t know exactly when you will be old enough to do that, but I hope that through these letters you will gain and understanding and some small wisdom about life, the universe, and everything – or at least as your old man saw them at these points in his life. Hopefully, when we’re all older and grayer we can look back upon these with fond memory and mature reflection.
The first of many things I want to talk to you about is what you will do with your life. Sure, you’re only 12 weeks old, and this is way too early to be talking about such things, I’m sure. But this has been on my mind lately and I want to put it on paper before these ideas evaporate in the midst of the midnight feedings, the workaday life, and the daily grind. I hope that you will come to understand and remember and base your life on a very simply mantra and I’ve developed over the years. I also hope that I am successful in using this mantra to guide your growth and development – not to mention live and exemplify it myself. What is this mantra? It’s this: as your family and your parents, your mother and I will always love you and support you. We will support you no matter what you want to be or want to do with your life, but whatever it happens to be, always strive to be a good man, and to do great things.
