Last Christmas, my daughter bought me the most interesting gift. It is a booklet of letters called 'Letters To My Mom'.
I have to admit, I became quite emotional when I saw it. As I opened it up, I noticed that it contained 12 letters. The opening was initiated by the creator of the gift, and the words that followed were all from my daugher's heart.
My emotion surprised me. It surprised my family, who were all there pyjama-clad and watching me open this gift.
I think, no matter what, we parents are pretty hard on ourselves and aren't quite sure if we are doing an OK job in this role. This is, at least, true for me. Just knowing that the gift included my daughter's words -- from her, to me -- spoke directly to my very soul.
My daughter gave me the whole book on Christmas day, and I decided to open one letter per month. That way, it will last the whole year. I have opened five so far (I will open the sixth -- for June), and I am blown away by this 'gift that keeps on giving'.
I thought this would also be an amazing gift to give to your dad on Father's Day (Sunday, June 18). Your dad might also wonder just what impact he has had -- and is having -- on your life.
If my dad were still on this Earth, I would give this gift to him. He is no longer here, but I think I will create the letters anyway. I will write these letters to him... and I know that it will help me to re-experience this beautiful man who brought me into this world and who meant so much to me, to my siblings, and to my mom.
You can make a book like this yourself, and add the openings you think best fit your relationship with your father.
Here are a few ideas for the letter themes:
A special memory I have of you is...
From you, I learned the importance of...
The places that remind me most of you are...
What I appreciate most about you is...
One thing I am glad we share is...
I always think of you when...
I love that our family...
One thing I admire about you is...
The best adventure we've had together is...
I've always wanted to tell you...
I always laugh when I remember...
I am most of proud of you when...
The moment that I knew what it meant to be a father is...
I will never forget...
Thank you for...
In the future I hope we...
What prompts do you like? Do you want to give your dad the whole book of letters at once, or would you rather write one per month and mail it to him?
Imagine! Actually receiving a letter in the mail! And, a hand-written one at that! What a beautiful gift it will be for him to receive this from you. Especially in this time of electronic communication. Checking the mail will be a whole new experience for him!
Happy Father's Day...to all the current dads, future dads, dads who have left this Earth too soon, and dads still to come...and to all of you who love those dads!
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