A long time ago, on a magical day, my little one stole home!!
To the Woman who will always be my Little Girl,
In these crazy times the reality of where I am, and my own mortality seems to be hitting closer to home than ever before. So I wanted to take a moment to tell the most special person in the world how much I love you. I know I have said these words hundreds of times before, but they just seem a little more important now.
As you know I work in a clinic that treats Cancer Patients, who are some of the most vulnerable people in our community right now. We have now been told some of our co workers have tested positive. So who knows what the future holds, I just keep reminding myself each day is a gift, and of all the gifts I have been given in my time on this Earth, you were the greatest of all.
So I guess you are wondering why I am still working, it is a question I have asked myself a lot lately. The thing that keeps coming to mind is that I was raised this way. To always treat others with respect and when someone needs a helping hand, yours is the first to be raised. I can still remember the earliest leson my Dad taught me about doing the right thing. It was right after out first little league game which we won by quite a few runs. Your Papi even hit a Home Run. During the party at my folks place after the game, my Dad was looking through the scorebook and that is when he realized he had not played the two brother that were on the Team. So he loaded me into the family car and we drove over to their house, and when we got there he apologized to their Dad and then took the boys out for ice cream. After that my Dad told me to work the brothers at their baseball skills so they would have more confidence and enjoy the game even more. A side note here sweetie, the first time I told that story was at my Dad’s funeral. A week later I ran into one of those brothers at a Blazers Basketball game. With that being said, your Dad believes in miracles, as I have been shown many in my lifetime.
I have to admit I have failed more than once at the lessons I was taught as a boy, but I have tried to stay true to them throughout my life. Maybe that is why I am a Disabled Vet, when the moment came to either run away from the fire. or run towards it to help a fallen mate, your Dad ran towards the fire. So at this time when people need my help, I cannot turn away from what needs to be done.
I wanted to take a moment to apologize to you for my failures as a Father. I can never forgive myself for those lapses in my life. I am not even sure if I deserve your forgiveness, but do realize I am human and am not perfect. I suppose learning your Parents are human is one of the toughest we get in life. I also need to apologize for the failures of my generation. We have left you a planet in peril and a President who only makes things worse on a daily basis. I think that is what led me to KOS. I wanted to be a part of the solution again. I wanted be a part of a Community that had a common goal of making the world a better place for your generation. Much like myself, we have failed at times, but we dust ourselves off and move forward again. We cannot fail at this task, it is just too important not to lose sight of that.
You know Punkers, you have come so far in life, and overcome things that no one should ever have to endure. You have grown into such an amazing woman, a global traveler, and a Citizen of the World. Add to that the Master’s Degree you are finishing up, ...just wow sweetie, just wow...I apologize for not saying more, but my tear filled keyboard runs out words sometimes.
Little one, I want you to know my favorite movie is Interstellar. It is my belief that at the base of this movie is a message about the relationship between a Father and his Daughter, and how difficult that can be. These words towards the end I have tried to live by:
Cooper: It was me, Murph. I was your ghost.
Older Murph: I know. People didn’t believe me, they thought that I was doing it all myself. But…
[she points to the watch she’s wearing on her wrist]
Murph: I knew who it was. Nobody believed me. But I knew you’d come back.
Cooper: How?
Murph: Because my dad promised me.
So what does your future hold, I think you will accomplish more than you ever thought was possible, you are so talented at so many things, it will all come together in ways that will amaze you and the people around you. I have faith that you are part of a generation that will transform this world into a better place when you are done. I truly believe that.
A few words for you to remember as you traverse these next few years:
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.”
Keep hope in your own Heart sweetie, and never forget what an amazing Heart you have!!
