Dedication: To my daughters (1992)

This book is an on-going compilation of ideas and thoughts that I have had and continue to have. I have spent a fair amount of time considering these things and feel compelled to put them together, at this time, so that you and maybe others, might use them as a starting point to examine your own thoughts of life, death, God, Heaven, etc.

I will do my best to not sound “preachy” but there are some things that need to be said.

Up until this time, I’m not sure you were old enough or mature enough to understand. More than that, I’m not sure I understood and even if I did, I don’t think I was ready to publicly declare them. But……….”There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NASB) I believe the time to share these things with you is now.

The reason I am putting these thoughts on paper, along with telling you about them, is that I need to do it for my sake also. I need to publicly discuss and declare my allegiance to God.

I have had some experiences in my life that I believe have prepared my for what is yet to come. As a parent, your parent, it is my job to pass along any knowledge I have about life to you so that you might be able to understand and embrace life, here on earth, more fully.

There are things I have learned about the next life, and God, and Heaven that I need to talk to you about also. It’s no different than the times your mother and I have talked to you about a lot of things having to do with your life.

You have learned the lessons about not playing with matches, or not talking to strangers or always telling the truth. There are times though that you need to remember the lesson about respecting your elders and parents.

Remember, the first of God’s Commandments that ends with a promise is the one that says: “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” (Exodus 20:12)

Also, I do not intend this piece to sound one-sided, parent-wise. Your mother and I share our duties and responsibilities to raise and teach you. In this particular instance, I happened to have had some experiences in my life and I want to tell them to you as best I can.

I am not an expert in life…I’m sure you already know that. I have made mistakes in dealing with some of your problems and concerns. There have been times when I was busy and couldn’t just drop what I was doing and pay attention to your desires. I regret those times.

Life is a learning experience….I’m sure you’ve already figured that out. There are good, happy times and times of unhappiness or embarrassment. Children, growing up, make mistakes because they’ve never been a child before and it’s a new experience.

Parents make mistakes because it too, is a new experience they’ve never done. The only thing they have to go on is the parenting they’ve seen in others before them. One thing they do have going for them, however, is the past experience of being a child, growing up.

That is why you’ll hear parents saying things like: “Don’t argue with me……..I know what I’m talking about because I went through this already and I’m telling you that what you’re doing is going to get you hurt.”

Think about it, now that you’re in high school, and have had some experiences……..don’t you know more than the little kids in elementary school? Anyway…..remember this…….what you are about to read is intended to help you think about your own lives now and your lives to come. It is my effort to teach. That is one of the things I do. It is also my effort to plant a seed….something else that I do, that it might find fertile ground in your spirits.

It is also an effort on my part to convey to someone I love, cherish and respect..my views on life and how that life revolves around God. Remember this: “What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.”

My prayers will be with you always………

Love,

Your Dad