Better Person

To my son Tommy,

Earlier today, I was pondering my life and how I want people to think of me and remember me.  I tried to come up with the biggest compliment I could give someone and the biggest compliment I could get from someone. "I am a better person for knowing you." is the ultimate compliment I could think of.

That is how I want people to think of me.  I want people to be happier, healthier, wiser, better off, or just better for knowing me.  Imagine what it would take to say that about someone.  It would mean I made an impact, touched a part of someone's soul.  It doesn't have to be some type of great life altering change, because a simple moment and a simple smile and a simple memory can make someone the tiniest bit better.

I also want to surround myself with people of that quality.  I want to be around people that have made me a better person for just knowing them.  They don't have to have the same ideas or mindset as I do.  Many time it is their differences that make me a better person, because I am forced to question what I believe or what I think I know.  There are so many ways people can make someone else better.  Perhaps you can make someone better through intellect, laughter, sincerity, forgiveness, or example.  Either way you are really making someone better through love.

Luckily, there are many in my life that I can sincerely say this about.  You however are one of the greatest people in my life in which that statement holds true.

Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo