Letter to Tony

Tony,

Where I would be now if you had never entered my life? I shudder to contemplate. For despite all the trouble you can be, my life is a lot less complicated. I now have no reason to shirk responsibilities or duties. I now have good reason to think of someone other than myself.

And while I have to be a more responsible adult because of you, I am also able to experience the joys of childhood and be a child again. The things that I liked as a child, the things that were a source wonder for me, I can introduce to you; and it gives me endless joy to see you like these things as much as I did and now again do.

It saddens me however that I can't give you the childhood that I had. More and more, I appreciate the freedom and experiences that my father – your grandfather – gave me. But the world I lived in when I was young has gone. Perhaps I was lucky to be a child in the time before computers. But I do hope that you see life for the adventure that it is and don't become dulled by drudgery and routine. Still, you will have have to have discipline and drive to be able to visit all the places you tell me that you want to visit on that world map, that I am proud to see you have, on your bedroom wall.

So remember if you want to fulfill these many dreams you have for your life, you have to work hard and have imagination. But don't let these goals of yours distract you from what is more important in this life: the condition of your soul. For what matters most in this life, is not wealth you accumulate but the good deeds you perform for others.

Love,

Your Father