Brighten, Easton, Cooper, and Cord;

This is the first of many letters that I am going to write to you.  I want the very best for each one of you.  I want each of you to have the best in life and be able to learn, grow, and develop.  I want each of you to gain the confidence and knowledge that will help you succeed at whatever path you choose for yourself.

One of the biggest lessons I want you to understand and prepare for is – that life is going to challenge you, test you, and provide you with opportunities to learn, grow, and make choices. How you respond to these challenges and opportunities will help define who you are and who you will become.

As you all know I love the  “Rocky” movies.  There is a clip in the last Rocky movie that beautifully illustrates what I so deeply want you to understand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5OookwOoY

If life tries to beat you down, and tries to hold you down, please remember this lesson.

It is not about how hard you can hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. Each of you have the choice each day to respond in a way that keeps you down, or in a way that allows you to keep moving forward.

If you can respond to what life gives you with a positive attitude and in a way that allows you to keep moving forward, I promise you that your life will be so much more enjoyable, and you will develop an ability to live life as an ongoing opportunity to grow instead of an ongoing challenge that you have to survive.

love you all forever,

Dad