To My Dear Adventure,

To My Dear Adventure,

Thank you for the quote. Neil Gaimon has perhaps become one of my favorite authors—if not favorite. Stardust. Coralline. Instructions. One of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who. He is an amazingly inspiring orator in specifically the way I would be inspired: He encourages adventure. I'm not sure if he pursues adventure, but he talks a good game.
Next I would say that I am sorry. I am sorry that I am and have been settling for less than my full potential. I feel like I could, if I desired, have a handle on anything—and everything. The trouble has been trying to decide who this boy inside of me is and how he can possibly choose any one thing and leave so many undone . . . and I think that the answer is that I can't. I can't leave things undone. I don't know how to leave so much life unlived.
For my father and mother a life entirely focused on the home was satisfactory. Blissful even.
For my part I accept that it could be satisfactory, but I want so much more than satisfactory. I want inspired. I want adventurous. I want to be involved with so many and to help so many.
I am coming to accept now that I am, in some ways, other than the boy who went into the film program. That boy wanted to inspire using the means that had inspired him, but that always meant ignoring so much of the things he had been inspired to do. I don't want to just inspire. I want to inspire people to do. To be better. To be happier. There is so much good and beauty out there in the world. Far more good and beauty than bad. All that is lacking are eyes willing to look for that good.
I don't know how we will do it, but I want to take our family out on adventure. Not an occasional adventure either. I want adventure to be the norm. I want excitement to ooze out our pores. I want to work with the world, for the world, and in so doing find the happiness of a faithful saint with eyes for beauty and adventure. I want more time with my children and my wife. I want our adventures to be shared adventures. I want our eyes recording the same goodness and beauty. Our lungs breathing the same exhilarating moments of life. Our hands working the same good in the world.
You are my beautiful companion. My good company. Our children are the most desirable traveling mates. We can do and see incredible things, and we will.
Oh the places we'll go.
I will write. I will write and work and look and pray harder than ever before and we will find the path that has been hidden in plain sight and then you and I and our family will sail off for adventure forever.

.Patrick


Sent from my iPad

Dear Boy,

This is for your birthday as well. They are not my words, but they echo my thoughts and wishes for you and for myself. I love you and I've been grateful for the opportunity to make mistakes with you and also to be successful at some things.

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

--Neil Gaimon

I feel like you are good at doing this anyway, but I hope you will continue and will always be improving (not necessarily at making mistakes but just at pushing boundaries).  

Love, this lady

My Dear Boy,

Here is something I'd say for your birthday.
I'd say you're the best thing that ever happened to me and you amaze me in so very many ways.
You're something else and something unique and something adventurous and something brave and I feel honored to know you.  I love to be your friend. I find all kinds of the most satisfying joy in being your wife.  I only wish I knew you better, wish I was the most uplifting, enlightening, enlivening friend, wish I brought more joy as your wife.  I know you disagree with my saying so, but I honestly feel like I'm miles behind you and I'm racing to be by your side.  And that's not an insult -to you or to me.  I don't mean it as such.  I mean it as this:
You inspire me, boy.  You help me be a better lady and human.  You help me see light when I feel enshrouded in darkness.  You raise my sights and my desires.  You make me laugh and smile and love and feel goodness.  Oh goodness, the feeling I get from you just fills and then overflows.

I feel so loved by you everyday that I am left wondering about it.  Like, "how could this be?  How can a boy so glowing with wonderfulness be taken by a girl just barely budding?"  The only answer I can accept is a miracle.  It is a miracle.  It was a miracle when we first came to be and now, just about nine years later, it continues to be a miracle.  I thank God for you.  Everyday, my heart pours out thanks for you.

I love you.