Dear Jack: The New Dirtbike Track on Our Street

15 years, 9 months.

Dear Jack,

Thanks to one of our neighbors just a few houses down the street, you now have unlimited access to a homemade dirtbike track that he made in his backyard.

You invited Mommy and I to come watch you take a few laps. It immediately reminded me of a Nintendo game I played as a kid: Excitebike.

Not only do you have one of the coolest electric dirtbikes, but now you have an amazing track, with jumps, to race it on. For free!

Love,

Daddy

Dear Holly: The Cat That Followed Us Home

10 years, 4 months.

Dear Holly,

Every evening after dinner, we try to take a one mile walk through the neighborhood as a family. We started noticing these two cats running out to welcome us every time we turned the corner.

The two cats insist on us stopping to pet them for a few minutes each time we pass.

One day a couple of weeks ago, one of the cats followed us home. When I woke up the next morning to go on my walk, it was still there on our front porch!

I made sure to carry him back to his actual home right away, as he apparently didn’t know how to get back on his own.

He hasn’t followed us home since, but we still see him everyday on our walk.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Holly: Decorating Your Backpack at Church

10 years, 4 months.

Dear Holly,

As the new school year started, our church had all the elementary students come up to the front with your backpacks, so the pastor could pray over you all for the school year ahead.

It’s funny to think how you don’t really have books in your backbags like the way I did when I was in school. But, either way…

Then after the service, Uncle Andrew held on to your cousin Darla’s backpack and I held on to yours, as Mommy helped you and Darla make customized backpack charms. Since then, it has been on your backpack along with a prayer card.

I pray for you and your brother everyday as you leave for school. You may not realize that, but I do. And I have everyday since you started going to school; as you learn, as you play, and as you make friends.

 

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: Advanced Placement Business Class

15 years, 9 months.

Dear Jack,

This past week, you made it to the Facebook page of your high school, which I guess would basically be the equivalent to making it to the local newspaper from when I was growing up here.

You are particularly enjoying your new classes so far in the first semester of your sophomore year of high school. That includes your Advanced Placement Business class, where you all recently conducted an exercise in supply shortages and surpluses.

Back when I was a student at your high school 30 years ago, I was big into DECA (“Distributive Education Clubs of America”) where I actually travelled in competitions for business role-playing. My senior year I even made it to the state competition!

I hope you find as much enjoyment and success as I did with it!

 

Love,

Daddy

Dear Holly: You Realized I’ve Been Writing to You Your Entire Life

10 years, 4 months.

Dear Holly,

Well, it took you making it all the way to the 5th grade before you stumbled into the fact that I have indeed been writing you a letter every week of your life, since Mommy was still pregnant with you.

I would classify you as an avid reader. Now you have discovered on your own that you can just go to my website and type in your age to the search box, to pull up pictures and stories about you that I wrote that week.

You admitted to me that you have been deep diving a bit into it.

And I will admit to you that by writing to you every week, this is one of the ways I express my love to you.

Love,

Daddy