A Letter from Dad

We all know that Dave is a bit scared of this blog and sharing too much information. However, he has given me permission to share this with you. There are two pages in Samantha's baby book that say "A Letter from Mom" and "A Letter from Dad". Somehow in the excitement of preparing for her arrival last year we never did get around to writing our letters to her. But Dave completed his letter on her first birthday.

July 3, 2009

Dear Samantha:

I’m writing to you about the power of free will.

I meant to write this letter to you on November 3, 2008 when you turned 4 months old. That was the day that I saw you make your first choice. We were sitting on the couch and you were playing with a small cardboard box. It was one of those alphabet stacking boxes that came in a set (you loved to play with those boxes when you were a baby). Anyway, you were playing with the box, turning it over in your hands and looking at it intently. Then you saw that I also had a box in my hand; one from the same set, only mine was slightly bigger. You looked at my box, looked back to your box, and then raised yours up to me offering a trade. We made the trade and then you went about smiling and playing with your newly acquired (and bigger) box.

That was a small choice, but it was the first choice I had ever seen you make and I was very proud of you. You were starting to become your own little person right there in front of me. That also happened to be the day before the 2008 election when millions of Americans would choose Barack Obama to become the first black man to be President of the United States.

Life is full of choices Samantha. Some choices will be easy or trivial, while others will be hard and life‑altering. Just remember, in each case, the choices you make will define who you are as a person and affect those around you. Also, remember that you don’t have to make the right choice every time. Some of your choices will inevitably end up being wrong decisions, but that is okay – you’ll learn from your mistakes.

I realized I had to write this letter when you turned 1 year old and I hadn’t started writing it yet. Time flies by Samantha, and you have to make the most of it. Life is too precious – you can’t always linger trying to find the most rational answer. Instead sometimes you have to make ecstatic, spontaneous, and boisterous choices (the way Zorba would).

I am so excited to see what choices you’ll make and what kind of person you will become in the years ahead.

I love you,
DAD