Dear Son,
This is the first of many letters I’ll be writing to you, and I promise to keep them coming. From the very beginning, I want you to know that I love you deeply, and I always will. I often find myself daydreaming about the day you’ll finally arrive—what it will feel like to hold you, the kind of father I’ll become, the bond we’ll share, and, of course, who your favorite parent will be—your mom or me (I’m hoping it’s me, but I guess we’ll see). I truly can’t wait to meet you. In preparation for your arrival, I’ve even been doing a little “parenting internship” by helping take care of your cousins. So yes, I’ve got a few hands-on experiences under my belt—I’m building my fatherhood résumé already!
There’s something I want you to learn early in life: you don’t have to have it all figured out from the start. It’s okay not to know everything. It’s okay to start small, to make mistakes, and to feel uncertain. The most important thing is to keep moving forward—and no matter what path you choose, I’ll always be here cheering you on, even in the tiniest details.
I remember back in 2014, I had a conversation with your grandfather about the career path I wanted to take. He asked me to write down the things I was good at and the things I enjoyed doing. After that, he showed me a clip of Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. I’d heard of Steve Jobs before—as the co-founder of Apple—but that speech left a lasting impression on me. Jobs spoke about “connecting the dots.” He had dropped out of college because he felt the classes he was taking didn’t resonate with him. It was a bold—and risky—move, especially considering how much his parents were spending on tuition. But dropping out allowed him to take classes he genuinely found interesting, like calligraphy. At the time, that calligraphy class seemed random and insignificant. But years later, when he was building the first Macintosh computer, that class turned out to be a game-changer. It was the reason Macs had such beautiful typography, setting them apart from every other computer on the market.
That moment taught me something powerful: sometimes the path only makes sense in hindsight. You can’t always see where the road leads while you’re on it, but every step, every decision, every stumble plays a part in the bigger picture. At that point in my life, I felt a lot of pressure. Your uncles and aunt had already achieved so much, and I often wondered if I could live up to that standard. But your grandfather’s wisdom, and that speech, helped me understand the value of trusting my own journey. I may not be exactly where I want to be yet, but I’ve made meaningful progress—and I’m still growing. And that, my son, is what I want for you: to embrace your process, start where you are, and know that it’s okay to not have it all figured out.
Don’t be afraid to begin. Don’t be scared to stumble. Learn as you go. The dots will connect in time.
And always remember—you have my full support. Every step of the way.
I’m constantly working on becoming the best version of myself, not just for me, but for you. And yes, part of that includes making sure you have the best mom possible—which means I still have some work to do on that front, too!
I’ll stop here for now, but I’ll write again soon.
Can’t wait to meet you.
With all my love,