A smile is the beginning of wisdom - and you, my sweet grandson, have the nicest and wisest of smiles.....
A letter to my grandson, Bronson, as he starts to travel his life journey -
You are only 17 months old but very loving, very perceptive, and very intelligent. However, at this point you can't possibly understand what I am writing to you in this letter. But you are growing up so quickly - already in day care - and I've been thinking a lot about the life you have ahead of you, about my life so far as I reflect on what I've learned in mine, and about my place in your life as your 'Grammie', and so I want to let you know all about the many things you will face as you place your footprints along the paths you choose to walk. Someday, when you are ready to read and understand this letter, I hope you will find some wisdom and value in what I wanted to share with you.
You are still so young, happy and innocent, and life has not yet taken its toll on you. It hasn't yet been able to throw disappointment, heartaches, loneliness, struggles and pain onto your path. You have not been worn down by the kicks and punches of everyday life. And for this I am thankful. You are still at a wonderful stage of life and you have many more wonderful stages of life still to come - but, unfortunately, they will not come without their share of costs and perils. I hope to be able to help you along your path by sharing some of the best of what I have learned in my 68 year existence. As with any advice, take it accordingly - knowing that what worked for me might not work for you.
You will quickly learn that life can be cruel. There will be people in your life who won't be very nice. They'll tease you or bully you for no good reason. There is not too much you can do about these people except to deal with them and learn to choose friends who are, instead, kind to you - friends who actually care about you, friends who make you feel good about yourself. When you find friends like this, hold on to them, treasure them, spend time with them, love them. You might get teased or bullied and hurt by the people you meet but then after meeting dozens of jerks you will find a true friend. If you close yourself off to new people and don't open your heart to them you'll avoid pain but also lose out on meeting some incredible people who will be there during the toughest times of your life and who will create some of the best times of your life.
There will be times when you will meet disappointment instead of success. Life won't always turn out the way you want it to. This is just another thing you will have to deal with. But, instead of letting it get you down, push on, accept the disappointment and learn to persevere, to pursue your dreams despite the pitfalls. Learn to turn negatives into positives and you will do well in life. You will fail many times but if you allow failure to stop you from trying you will miss out on the amazing feelings of success once you reach new heights with your accomplishments. Never forget that failure is a stepping stone to success.
You will also face heartache by those you love. I hope that you don't have to face this too often, but it does happen. Again, not much you can do but to heal and move on with your life. Let these pains become stepping stones to better things in life and learn to use them to make you stronger. Be open to life no matter what. Yes, you will find cruelty and suffering along your journey, but don't let that close you to experiencing new things. Don't retreat from life, don't hide or close yourself off. Be open to new things, new experiences, new people. You might get your heart broken three times but then find the most wonderful partner the fourth time. Remember that if you shut yourself off from love you will miss out on some of the happiest times of your life.
Life is not a competition but you will meet many people who will try to outdo you - in school, in college/university, at work. They will try to have nicer cars, bigger houses, newer clothes, cooler 'toys'. To them, life is a competition - they have to do better than their peers to be happy. Always remember that life is a journey and if you spend that journey always trying to impress others, to outdo others, you will be wasting your footsteps. Instead, learn to enjoy your journey. Make it one of happiness, of constant learning, of continual improvement, and of love. Excess material things don't matter a bit and none of them will make you happier. Learn to be satisfied with having enough - and then use the time you would have wasted trying to earn extra money to buy unneeded things to, instead, do the things that you love.
Love should be your life rule. If there is a single word you should live by it should be love. It might sound corny, but there really is no better rule to follow. Some would choose to live by the rule of success. Their lives will be stressful, unhappy and shallow. Some would live by the rule of selfishness - putting their needs above those of others. They will live lonely lives and will also be unhappy. So - live your life by the rule of love. Love your partner, your children, your parents, your siblings, your friends with all of your heart. Give to them what you need, and show them not cruelty, not disapproval, not coldness, not disappointment but only love. Open your soul to them. Love not only your loved ones, but your neighbors, your co-workers, strangers - your brothers and sisters in humanity. Offer anyone you meet a smile, a kind word, a kind gesture, a helping hand. Try your best to love your enemy - the person who is cruelest to you - the person who has been unkind to you. Love them. They are tortured souls and are those most in need of love. Most of all - love yourself. While others may criticize you, learn not to be so hard on yourself. Do not think that you are not good enough, not handsome enough, not smart enough or not worthy of love. Think instead that you are a wonderful person, worthy of happiness and love. Always love yourself for who you are.
Finally - know that I love you very much and always will - unconditionally. You are starting out on a weird, scary, daunting but ultimately wonderful life journey and I am looking forward to sharing your footprints and enjoying your beautiful smile.
