I will stop with these eight lessons and we will dive into other valuable topics again in a future letter. Reflect on my favorite quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Don’t be tempted to hide your true self, your faith or what you really think from others. On the other hand, you will hopefully have a few close friends who stay with you a lifetime and they are to be treasured as gifts from God.īe Real. Trust me on this one – never abandon your faith or your values to follow the crowd. The tricky thing about friendship is you sometimes find yourself alone because you are committed to following the teachings of the Church or the values you learned. If your friends go down a path you know is wrong, stand your ground and do not follow. Be a good enough friend to others that you always tell them the truth. Hang out with people who share your values. Don’t wait for somebody else to take responsibility. One of my old bosses told me years ago that if “I touched it, I owned it!” This has always served me well and helped me in countless ways. Someone has to be responsible, why not you? If you are involved in an activity or project, act responsible and be a leader. You have heard your mom and I say this a million times: “You need to be more responsible!” Well, you do. The world might make fun of you, but Jesus will love you for it. Be counter-cultural, do the right thing and save yourselves for marriage. You will eventually know if she is and she will be looking at you in the same way. Then what? Get to know her, build a relationship and take the time to see if she is the ONE. You will know you are in love when your knees go soft, your stomach has butterflies and you can’t stop thinking about her as the most beautiful girl you have ever seen. Treat your bodies like holy temples and don’t give in to sinful behavior. Care more about their inner beauty than their outward appearance. You will meet lots and lots of girls in your lives. I know, I know, this part sounds just like Papa! No matter what you hear later in life, I promise you there is no easy path to riches and there is no substitute for hard work. Pay your dues and out-hustle everyone around you. Be insatiably curious about other people and life in general. But, it is very important to have a quality education if you want to have good career options. Don’t be tempted to sacrifice your values for a little temporary comfort or pleasure. Never lose touch with your values they define who you are. Our Catholic faith has helped you learn to love your neighbor and serve others. Your mom and I have taught you the difference between right and wrong. Never forget you were made for Heaven and not the world. Be men of prayer and observe the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation. Stay devoted to our Catholic faith despite all the temptations you will have from the world to leave. Stay true to yourself and always love and serve Him. To keep it simple, here are eight things I want you to think about, pray over and hopefully remember for the rest of your lives:įaith. The list of rich experiences and lessons is almost endless, but perhaps I will share some of them now and save the rest for future letters. I want you to understand the rough years I spent in the spiritual wilderness with no faith and the profound conversion experience I had when I surrendered to Christ and found the Truth I was seeking for most of my life in the Catholic Church. I want you to know the indescribable joy I felt when both of you came into this world. There is so much I wish to share with you! I want to tell you what it feels like to fall in love with the woman you will marry. We are not perfect parents, but we have done our best to help you make your way through these difficult growing-up years and prepare for the future. First of all, I want you to know your mom and I love you both very much and we could not be prouder of you. When you finish reading this you will hopefully understand the reason. It must seem strange that I am writing you a letter. I would recommend this task for all dads. Thinking about this the other day, I decided to write a letter to my two boys. Being a father can seem daunting, and at times we fail to say what we mean or do what we say.
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