First Grade

Dear Maddie,

You are almost done with the first grade. FIRST GRADE! When did you get to be so old, so big? I was looking at pictures of you the other day from when you were a baby, and I can't believe that in a few short weeks you'll be a second grader. Where has the time gone?

Second grade was when I moved to Tennessee. Second grade is when you really start remembering things.  I hope you remember all the things we've done before now, but I don't remember much from first grade and before.  Really I just remember the traumatic things - being chased by a dog down Elmcrest, getting sick at school, getting hit in the head by a gold club.  I hope you remember all the good things we did when you were a kid... Disney World, New York, Florida, camping.  We've tried so hard to give you a fun life, I hope it's more than just pictures.

I think a lot about when I'm gone, whether that is now or 50 years from now.  What will you remember of me?  I don't want you to think of me as the dad who always worked and was never home.  I want to make sure I've spent plenty of time hanging out with you, having Maddie/Daddy days, and cuddling with you at night. While I believe we'll see each other in the next life, I don't want to miss out on all the opportunities to hang out in this one. So I hope that you'll remember that I took time to be with you.  That we played basketball and Fortnite together. That we would cuddle on the couch until you fell asleep. 

When I drop you off at school every morning, you lean up and give me a kiss on the cheek before you get out of the car.  I tell you I love you, you tell me the same.  I tell you that you're my favorite Boog, and you tell me I'm your favorite daddy.  I know that in a few years I won't get that when I drop you off, so I'm loving every minute of it until then. But however old you are, remember that you're my favorite Boog, and I'll always be your favorite daddy!

Love, Daddy.