Letters to Holden and Nolan…

little men…

i started thinking about you guys this morning.

for the rest of your lives,  there will always be kids who have a lot more stuff than you have.   don’t get me wrong.   i’m not saying you guys don’t have much.   between two sets of grandparents that think you’re pretty cool…and parents that love to see happy smiles on your faces…i’m pretty sure you’ll have a lot more than you’ll ever need.

but you’re going to grow up in a world that has a bunch of mixed up values.   people are going to judge you,  not by your character or what’s in your heart,  but by how much stuff you have.

the television is going to try to make you believe that you reeaaally need what they are selling.   the kids at school will brag about the new things they just got…and will try to convince you they are better than you…just because they may have more than you do.

when i was a little boy,  we didn’t have much.   my daddy…your great-grandfather…was a carpenter.   there were a lot of times that he didn’t have a job,  so we had to learn to get by with a lot less  sometimes.   but my parents always made sure i had what i needed.

just like your mommy and daddy will take care of you.

one of the lessons my parents taught me from the time i was little,  was to be grateful for everything.   it’s actually a pretty important picture that god paints in the bible…something worth building your lives on:

Be joyful always;  pray continually;  give thanks in all circumstances.   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

last night,  i heard the same lesson put another way:

The Law of Thankfulness:   “If you’re not thankful for what you got,  you won’t be thankful for what you GET!”

i like that.

grow wise,  grasshoppers.

papi.

#gratitude #stuff