Happy New Year

To my son Tommy,

Years come and years go.  As you grow older these years slip away faster and faster.  As an end approaches on the horizon, the pace of the race seems to approach the speed of light.  That is why we cling to the memories and try and preserve them for all eternity, thus these letters to you.

The past year has seen good times and bad times.  You have grown up so much and continually amaze me.  You have many firsts under your belt and we look forward to many more.  I remember your first day of nursery school, or as they say at St. Agnes, Pre-K 3.  You had days where you were upset to go, and then just four hours later you were upset to leave.  You have found good friends and great teachers and you have sparked that inner need to educate and experiment and learn.

You aren't the only one who has seen a shift in their learning curve.  Your mother this year has dazzled and impressed as she went back to school for nursing.  Though when she becomes a full fledged nurse it will definitely help our family, your mom will be following her passion and it will be good for her too.

Though your father hasn't hit the school books this year, that doesn't mean he failed to learn anything.  Setting out on a personal mission to write to you every day has let him live a well examined life.  I have learned to love deeper and appreciate more.  I have gone back to church and examined my soul.  With your mother, we have quit smoking when we started examining our health.  I have made great strides in growing with you and your mom this year and I plan on only going further.

Two thousand twelve also saw many trials, tribulations, and losses.  We have seen hurricane and super-storms devastate many.  Fiscal cliffs and financial insecurity made us feel like money is tight year round.  On the news, we have seen troubled souls, who never learned the value of life, do despicable things that made me cry.  On a personal note, we have lost family members and seen other members of our family suffer from health issues and the like.  Yet somehow we have not lost our hope.  In the face of such tragic events, we have searched out those small moments of love and kindness that can only be described as a glimpse of God's grace.  We have availed ourselves with the blanket of security provided by such a close and loving family.

All things considered, the past year has been fairly good for our family, in my humble opinion.  Did everything go our way?  Not by a longshot but many times you need life to not go your way so you can learn what is most important about living.  I am happy that I decided to write down these words and events so you can look back year after year and decide for yourself if this was a good year.  So...To my son Tommy, I wish you a very very Happy New Year.

Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo