Dear Sons, Our Future Is Not Guaranteed...

Dear Sons, 

  As parents, I believe the moment we opened our hearts to the idea of you, we silently took an oath to forever put ourselves, our needs and our priorities second. We knowingly committed ourselves to this responsibility and although at times the weight of it may seem heavier than we can bear, we shoulder on with the hope that one day when you're fully grown, we'll look upon you with pride and know that the blood, sweat and tears shed, on both of our behalves along the way, was more than worth it. 

  It has never been clearer than it is today that our future is not guaranteed. Navigating the unknown waters that lie ahead may not be easy but it is because we love you more than life itself that we have committed ourselves to guiding you along life’s path.

 

  Long before you were born, your father and I spent countless nights dreaming of your futures. When we learned that you would be our sons, our hearts could hardly contain the joy we felt at the task that lay ahead of us, the task of raising gentlemen.

  It was then that we began making promises to you, our sons. Promises that, although at times may prove difficult to uphold, they would become some of the most important undertakings we would ever commit ourselves to. 

  We promised each other to teach you humility but not so much that you doubt your own significance or lack the confidence to stand up for yourself and your ideals. We promised to teach you bravery in the face of adversity, strength in the form of words and actions. We promised to support you and encourage you in your endeavors, to be your biggest fans whether that meant celebrating victoriously or humbly accepting defeat.

  We hope that each of you will always love intentionally and unconditionally. We want for you to maintain a kindness in your hearts to strangers and those less fortunate. We hope you will be able to look upon your neighbor with compassion and sympathy and most of all, we hope you will always treat others the way you would want to be treated.

  You'll learn that the world around you doesn't make fulfilling these hopes and promises easy. Everywhere you turn you will see malice, violence, hatred and those who will intentionally go to great lengths to steal your joy.

Do not allow them this thievery.

  Your father and I promise to protect you as best we can but sometimes our protection won’t be enough. As much as we may want to shield you from the horrible nature of the world we live in, we know we would ultimately be doing wrong by you.

  It is because of this that we promise to introduce you to a most faithful God, someone who loves you even more than we do and we promise to encourage you to foster a relationship with Him. We hope that you will learn throughout your years that it is only He who can protect you in this life for He is the only one who both creates and takes away.

  As your parents we take our responsibilities to you seriously. We don’t make these promises to scare you but rather to prepare you. Not a day goes by that we don’t already worry about each of you, as our worries began long before we held you in our arms.

  We know as you continue to grow that these worries will only multiply. It is then that we have to remind ourselves that your ultimate future is not in our hands but in the mean time we will dedicate ourselves to protecting you the only ways we know how.

  We promise to not let a single day go by without reminding you of just how much we love you. How we would sacrifice anything for you.

  We are so thankful that we were entrusted with each of you and we happily accept and commit ourselves to the responsibility of caring for you, cultivating you and continuing to love you with every fiber of our being. We promise all that and more. 

                              All our love,

                            Mom and Dad