Gratitude and Talents...

Dear Boston & Braxton,

The words I write are special to me, and I hope that one day they will be important to you too. I hope you can pull something out of my jumble of words that helps you throughout your life. On an occasion, I hope you can find strength in the words I have prepared for you. I know that I will be able to look back on them fondly and they will always bring a smile to my face. They are definitely a labor of love with a great deal of emotion behind them.

On a regular basis, I find myself up at night. With your mom sleeping soundly beside me, I am alone with my thoughts. Even the dogs are snoring in unison. So, tonight is another night where I attempt to express my thoughts to you through writing. Writing is very difficult for me. No matter how many times I try to write something, I don't like it. I am usually not happy with my words. Actually, if you ask your mom, I usually am very disappointed with me words. They just never seem to do justice to my thoughts. I have always respected and envied those whom can write well. It is truly an amazing talent in my opinion. It is one of those things that I wish I could do better. It is something I desire to succeed at. So, every time I put my thoughts down on paper, I hope something of merit comes out and pulls me a little closer to that group of special people we consider "writers". It is flattering to hear that a few people read my words, and I must thank all them for that.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

Every time I hear from someone new...or old...it makes me feel a little bit better about the words I share with my small world.

Boys, tonight I have been thinking about a few things: gratitude and talents...and having gratitude for those talents you have been given.

As you have heard before, gratitude is very important in the Barrow family. It is not something that we take lightly. From a young age, I was taught by my parents to be grateful. Did I always show it? No, I didn't. I wish I had. In life, we come up short sometimes. But, we always have the ability to make things right. I have so much to be grateful. I have been blessed with a great family, amazing friends, a job, and so much more. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for everything he has given me.

Throughout life, you will meet ungrateful people. These are people that you are always there for, but they always seem to think of themselves. It doesn't matter how much you do for them...you rarely hear thank you or receive anything in return. Still, you help them. You rise above. Because the help, the service you provide for them outweighs the thank you that you never see. You do it for you, even though it seems like it is for them.

Make sure you are always grateful and let the people know how important they are to you. You never know when you won't be able to let them know. Always, always, always...let your mother know she is loved. No one will love or sacrifice more for you than your mom. Remember that!

The other thing I have been thinking about is talents. I wonder what you guys will excel at. Whatever it is, work hard at it. You won't regret it. Develop your talents and be the best you can be at them. And, be grateful for your talents. Thank your Heavenly Father for your gifts.

I love you guys!

See you soon!

Love,

Dad