a letter to a newborn babe

My dear boy,

Into this world you came, like the welling up, the crescendo of some masterpiece on the stage of some great opera house performed by some renowned artist, the details might be fuzzy, but the feelings of that moment, the climax of that orchestral genius of life and birth will never be forgotten. Within my heart I felt for you that tinge of hope and that pause of relief, as I witnessed the beginning of a new generation. You, my young friend, are the inspiration for this passion that I hold deep within. I write and I strive each day that you, your brothers, your peers, and the millions upon millions that will come into this world, will ride upon the winds of my dreams, and my imagination, and the aspirations of those that truly love you.

You, my dear sweet boy, have the power within you to accomplished miracles of innovation that will cause great men to marvel at your audacity, wise women to bow before your grace, and this people, this creature we call humanity, will feel your impact upon this globe for centuries to come. All of this will be yours if it is what you dream of, if is what you long for, if is but the object of your wildest imagination. There is nothing that you can imagine that is beyond your reach.

In your eyes, freshly opened to the brilliant lights and smiling faces, we see our tomorrows. You are the hope of all mankind. You came into this world through the unity of two hearts that brought together two families. You glance at us with eagerness, curiosity, and wonder. There was a readiness in the deep corners of your tiny eyes that speaks volumes of the kind of man that you will become. I see it in your eyes. May that joy and that openness never leave your soul. May you greet each morning with that same freshness and keen sense of purpose. Let nothing take from you your drive to imagine a better tomorrow, to create what your dreams might bring you.

Creation is a way of being. You are given every talent you need to see yourself beyond the impassable and insurmountable foes of mortality and you will make it. The most grand of all tools, the most majestic of all talents is your imagination. You are untethered by the rules of society. You are unencumbered by the errors of judgment; you are free to imagine anything. You are the greatest solution to all our woes. You are the champion of our shortcomings, turning them to grandeur and making from our errant ways a melodious symphony of resounding harmony. You, with your endless capacity for possibility can turn everything you touch into something far more rare and exceptional than anything of our own doing. If you can imagine it, it is already a reality.

As each generation enters into this mess of world we look to them to make it a better place but keep from them the tools of creation, the implementations of hope, and the accoutrements of change. I promise you, this ends with me. I will live this life, my life, my mortal existence, as a sacrifice. I will give every moment of who I am that you might be free to imagine, to dream, to invent, to conceive, and to realize your tomorrow. I refuse to stand before you as an obstacle but rather yearn to stand behind you as a support.

I promise to make possible every spark of your imagination. I promise to share in every joy of your vision for your future. I promise to empower your every effort to discover the world you long to create. I will put down my desires, my folly, and my orchestrations, if they keep you from achieving the passion of your imagination. Dear enfant, dear child, you deserve to dream. Never will I tell you to stop playing. Never will I tell you to grow up. Never will I tell you to act your age. Never will I let you fear to fail, because failure is the gateway to possibility.

           Your dreams and your imagination are priceless. Tiny man, dream big. And when you wake live each moment as if it were the greatest moment of your life. Fly upon the wings of your imagination and envision the world that you so long to forge. “Go boldly in the direction of your dreams. Live the life that you’ve imagined.” (Henry David Thoreau) Live your dreams not for the thunderous applause of adoration but that you might lie down each night confident that you had exhausted every effort to be true to yourself. Live your dreams not that they are the dreams of your father or mothers but because they animate your every moment and define you as an individual. Live your dreams even when they scare you, for it is in those moments that you will find the strength to stand before the crowd and show them wonders. 
          I believe in the power of your imagination. I believe that you will change this world. I believe that you will show us wonders we could not conceive, a world we could not engender, and a future we will aspire to inhabit, and all because you dare to imagine. So sleep away this night, fair child, and dream of all that is possible. Dream of hearts and clouds, visions and moonlight, dream of colors and creatures, tomorrow and play. Sleep to dream and wake to live, imagine away and imagine again. You are the melody I imagined, the sonata that I dreamed of, the music and my muse. You are everything that I imagined.