A Letter To My Sons

Dear Grayson and Bennett:
 

There are only days remaining before I get to meet the two of you. This is a very exciting time for your mother and for me. We are nervous, eager and thrilled about your arrival.
 

I find it difficult to express how turbulent my emotions are when it comes to your approaching births. I am filled with awe in the experience of watching nearly every phase of development as you have grown inside your mother to the point where now I can feel you and even play with you through her skin. The two of you coming into being has been nothing short of a miracle.
 

Because you are twins, my emotions are even more stirred. It is most definitely double the love and thrill, but also double the challenge. However, the two of you being grown and born together is one of the things that will make each of you unique and distinct.
 

Someday in the future, your mother and I will explain the details of your conception, the medical science of it as well as the personal sacrifices willingly made to create your lives. It is an amazing tale, but one for another time, because for now I want to tell you about the world you are about to enter.
 

I have already made promises to you about this place and how I will be with you to help guide your way. This world is filled with a multitude of options. It can be a scary place. It can be an exciting place. It can even be a quiet place. The mystery, however, is that of all the things this world can be, you get to define it and make it the world you want. That doesn’t mean you get to control the world, but you do get to choose a very significant amount of your personal outcome here.
 

My job is to show you how – how to give focus to the things that matter and how to avoid the things that distract you from your course. You will find on your life’s journey there are events that seem important which turn out not to be. Also there are things that at first seem insignificant, but turn out to be strong foundations in the design of this life. There are also options that simply are – and these while being perhaps no more valuable to another become personal definitions of what your life will be.
 

I know this all sounds overwhelming. At times as you experience it, it will be. But know I am here, and you can lean on me. Also know that as you grow, your reliance on my help will lessen. For you will evolve into strong and capable men – men of character, honor and integrity.
 

Don’t be afraid. I know this potential of you already. You must remember who you are, the tools you have and the things you have already proven. Within you is the secret to move mountains.
 

Your bodies and brains are amazing. I have watched these structures miraculously grow from tiny seeds into whole human beings. Understand also, that half of you was taken from my flesh and frozen for half of a year. You survived that process, thawed and merged with your other half in your mother. That half had to endure months of chemical irregularity to be drawn out. Then you grew your first five days inside a machine. You two boys were strong enough to make the journey.
 

You are strong and amazing. But as I have said, you choose your own destinies. I will help you, but in the end, you must remember the tools you have been given and your life becomes your choice.
 

Because it is your choice, I want to be sure you know all the options and glean from what I’ve learned these years I came before you. Know that when you feel discouraged, remember to count your blessings, and know you can always count on one blessing for certain: Love.
 

To receive love it must be given with no thought of its return. Love is a gift on which no return is demanded. To love unselfishly is its own reward. And even should love not be returned, it is not lost; for love not reciprocated will flow back to you…and soften and purify your heart.
 

As I have described, Grayson, Bennett, you are both unique. You will come to learn that in this world, things are valued highly because they are rare. Understand you are absolutely the most rare commodity in the world, and this makes you the most valuable treasure in the world. Imitate no one. Be yourself to this world and the world will respect you. Proclaim your rarity. Celebrate your uniqueness, and know you have no handicaps; anything perceived as such is just a characteristic of your rarity. Never allow yourself to believe you are mediocre.
 

Finally, how you live will impact how you feel. Understand that just as love flows back to you, so does everything else. Live not only for yourself. Go the extra mile and do for others. The only certain means of success in this life is to give better than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be. The surest path to mediocrity is to perform only the work for which you are paid.
 

I look forward to meeting you both soon. I expect great thing, but know they will not happen all at once. I will be patient with your progress, as you must also learn to be patient with yourselves. Remember the term “human being” is not really accurate. We are all more like “humans becoming.”
 

But be proud. You were made with a purpose. Once you arrive, we will embark on a journey to fulfill that purpose.
 

Love,
 Dad