My sons,
You may one day read these words when you are old enough to see me as more than your father.
You may see the parts of me that were uncertain, impatient, tired, ambitious, afraid, and still becoming.
I hope that does not weaken your understanding of me. I hope it makes my love more believable.
I did not wait until I became perfect to love you.
I loved you while I was still learning how to become the kind of man capable of carrying that love well.
Much of what I built was built because I wanted to be present when your lives were happening.
I wanted you to remember more than a provider who was always working somewhere else.
I wanted you to remember walks, meals, questions, laughter, correction, prayer, stories, and the feeling that your life was never an interruption to mine.
You were part of the reason I wanted my life to become something worth remembering.
Love,
Dad