Dear Dad –
There are days that I wish you were here to see who Dillon is becoming. There are times that he responds to a situation and I have to turn my head to make sure it is really him and not you. There are times that he laughs at something the way you would laugh (now yes his voice and laugh are not deep enough yet), and a smile comes across my face. There are times that he and I start nudging each other’s elbows like you would when you were watching a show or movie. He might not look like you, but he certainly acts like you. Dillon shares your need for perfection when is working on a project. Part of his Christmas gift was a subscription to Kiwi Co. He receives a kit each month to put together. So far he has received a ukulele, a lock box, and a pinball machine. He loves working on them, but look out if it doesn’t go together exactly as it should. Fortunately, he has been able to correct everything so he has gotten past the little setbacks. He responds to kids at school with an attitude very similar to yours and sometimes I have to tell him to reel it in. I was reading a book the other day and I highlighted a section about attitude. I have had many talks with Dillon about how he reacts to different situations. It may be with his sister, me, JJ, mad at himself, or of course a situation with his peers. The author was talking about how life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you react to it. I try to explain to Dillon that he can change the outcome by just how he responds to a given situation. I am not saying that you didn’t learn this the hard way, but I watched you learn the importance of your reaction over the 22 years you fought cancer. I watched when you decided to be ornery and upset how it affected your energy, how you felt, and how your overall health went to pot. When you decided that God was in control, that other people were suffering worse than you, and you might as well pick your head up and fight; that overall you felt better. I pray that Dillon will also learn that fight and determination. I loved this passage about attitude that the author referenced.
Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, money, circumstances, than failures and success, than what other people think, say, or do. It is more important than appearance, ability, or skill. It will make or break a business, a home, a friendship, an organization. The remarkable thing is I have a choice every day of what my attitude will be. I cannot change my past. I cannot change the actions of others. I cannot change the inevitable. The only thing I can change is attitude. Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.
I want Dillon to learn what you learned Dad. I want him to learn you will always have more power than you think. I want him to learn that his mind is the most extraordinary tool and it will shape his reality. Thanks for showing up in him. We will make you proud Dad.