A letter from August 15th, 2011

Time is Free, but it's Priceless Dear Son, Now that your entering a new chapter of your life, I would like to share with you a great lesson that I've learned. I'm sure you've heard it so often that time flies, without you knowing, years could past. The big question is, how did you spend your time? Were you able to do something worthwhile? Were you able to make a difference? Were you able to cherish each moment that passes you by? Or did you just sit there and thought you still got lots of time but before you know it, your time was up. Your grandpa has always worked so hard to provide for the family, without noticing that he's spending a great deal of time away from me, my siblings and my mom. I remember an unforgettable story that he told me when i was your age. When I was just four years old, grandpa said I made him realized how important it is to spend quality time with the family. He said one day when he came home after work and he learned about balancing career and family, about what kids really need from a dad and about building and dismantling walls. After a long day at work, he was in time to catch me getting ready for bed, I was so delighted to see him and wanted him to build blocks with me. Though your grandma knew this will take all night and it would be difficult to ask me to stop playing, she allowed us to play because she knew how much I wanted to spend time with my dad. While building blocks, in my pj's I asked your grandpa, "Dad, where do you live during the day?" It was a telling moment. Even if I knew we were living in the same house but since we hardly spend time together, there was uncertainty about his role as a dad. He said that moment was the turning point, he knew he had to do something before it's too late. I didn’t want that night to end, I took my time building and dismantling blocks while sharing with him what I did for the day. There we were building blocks to make a wall but the truth was we were dismantling a wall - the wall that had threatened to divide my dad from the family. Now that I'm a dad myself, I don't want to make the same mistake as my dad. Since you were born, I've made sure I know what your favorite cartoon show was, your favorite snack and how to be with you, my family, without reading the newspaper or watching the news, to be fully present because once you lost that precious time, you can never get it back. Love Dad