Dear son,
As I anticipate the day upon which you are born, I think about what you will be like. What advice I will give you when you’re older. What hardships you might go through. I realize that since you are my son, you will likely be somewhat like me. If that is indeed the case, then I want to prepare you for the most probable outcome.
Son, you will in all likelihood be a mediocre man, like your father.
Being mediocre, however, is not a death sentence. I used to think it was, but it’s not. Today, I want to tell you how to live, should you discover that, like me, you are mediocre.
If you are not strong, be steady.
If you are not handsome, be attractive in character.
If you are not rich, give yourself to others.
If you are not popular, lift up others.
If you are not a born leader, be a loyal servant of God and mankind.
If you are not intelligent, be thoughtful.
If you are not funny, laugh with others.
If you are not thought well of, be above reproach.
If you cannot speak in public well, pray hard.
Above all son, regardless of how quick others are to love you, praise you, or follow you, love. Love without conditions and without reserve. Pour yourself into others and you will never regret a moment.
One Response to “To My Son, from a Mediocre Man”
Wow, Andrew of Nagy, I have come from blogger through xanga and across Google to find you! I feel like I know you a little bit after all that! I am a fellow blogger (well, of sorts) with a website at sober-minded.com, and over the past few days have been thinking it might be a good thing to move the blog portion of that website to blogger. I checked to see if “sober-minded’ was available and there you were! I have enjoyed reading you; you’re a good writer and should write more, I say, though time is the tough thing, I well know.
I don’t even know if such a thing is possible, but I would love to have your old blogspot address. I am keeping the sober-minded domain name, because like you, I want my own, but I have no skills so I just have to use the hosting company’s editor to write. It doesn’t work well for the blog.
I sent you a message on xanga already, so forgive me if I’m bombarding you. If you’re interested, and can “cancel” your sober-minded url on blogger, would you let me know? Sorry to bother you if I’m just ignorant and it can’t be done anyway! Keep writing, Andrew, you have some good things to say! Do you ever read challies.com? He’s a young guy like you with a lot of interesting material.
Thanks much! and may the Lord keep you,
Jeri Tanner