Letters From Dad

A few days after my mother died I was going through some old boxes that I found at her house. These boxes contained stuff that I had packed from college and had not seen daylight in about 20 years. It was quite a trip down memory lane. I found some old LPs, movie posters, and an unexpected treasure. There was a stack of letters that she had written over the years to the son that she missed. As I read through them again, I could feel her comforting hug. Just seeing her handwriting really lifted my spirits – something so familiar and the knowledge that she had touched the paper as she was writing on it. That may sound strange but she had just passed away and it was a nice thought that somehow made her seem near. Unfortunately, those letters were thrown away. I now wish I had taken the advice from my aunt and let things be for awhile. I would love to have those letters now. I don’t really have anything like that from my Dad. I do seem to remember getting letters from him occasionally when I was in college. Those are vague memories at best. It would be great to have letters from him. That is where Letters From Dad come in. It is a ministry that our church is starting that helps men to pass down legacies to their children and families.

I am excited to get started with this. There are basically four types of letters that are written. The first one is to my wife. The second letters are written to my kids. The third are written to my parents. I guess those will be Tribute letters since they have both died. The last letter is my Final Letter. These letters can mean so much to the readers after I am gone. Even before I am gone. In fact, if you are reading this you may just receive a letter from me sometime in the future. And that is just the start. This letter writing “project” is not just a one time thing. I aim to write letters throughout the year(s) to my kids to impart all of my great knowledge and wisdom. When you stop laughing about that, just think about how great it would be to have encouraging words from your father at different times in your life. The older I get the smarter my father gets. And the Bible instructs me “pass down these things to your children and to their children…”

One thing is for sure. None of us know how long we will be around. Our days are numbered. I probably have around 30 years left in this skin. Maybe less. If that is the case, the people I care about will know that I care about them. They will know what they have meant to me and we will all be better off for it.