Well I got my toenails painted a few weeks ago.

H, it all started because you wanted to get yours painted.

Of course, mom asked if I needed mine done too, and you immediately agreed.

So I sat with my feet on a towel as mom painted them and you watched.

You insisted they be painted “sparkly pink.”

I was more than willing to play along, and I forgot about it all as soon as my toenails were dry and I put my socks back on.

I forgot about it all – until we got to the swimming pool a few days later.

As I took my socks off, I laughed, then shrugged, and just got in the water anyway, proud of my pink.

Some kid swimming past me in goggles probably choked on water as she went by.

Ha.

I love you.

–Dad

H, at church week before last, you got some of your scribbling out.

We took K to Sunday School, and you went with us to big church.

And when your mind begins to wonder during the sermon, as it would for any three year old, we naturally try to find you a distraction.

Usually in church we give you a white piece of paper and a pen.

And you know what you do?

You scribble like crazy all over that white paper.

I love it when you do.

I love it because they won’t let you do that at school.

Now I know it’s a developmental thing about learning to color in the lines, but you are three!

Why can’t you scribble if you want to?

And who ever got anywhere in the world by always coloring in the lines?

So we sit and listen to the sermon, and you get some of your scribbling out.

You just scribble all you want to.

I love you.

–Dad

You have a generous grandfather.

It’s a small thing, but I just wanted you to know that about Pop.

Maybe y’all are still calling him “Pop Pop?”

We each have our strengths and weaknesses.

And just like us, Pop has quite a few strengths, and a number of weaknesses.

But he is also incredibly generous.

For example, we were in Ruidoso recently, and it was Pop’s birthday.

And with a table of 11 people, he insisted on paying.

He nearly always insists on paying.

I think it was about a $150 dinner bill.

Now naysayers might say, “Of course he is generous. He has it. He is wealthy.”

But that’s non-sense.

There are plenty of people with money that are tightwads.

I hope you are generous too.

I love you.

–Dad