I opened a letter my late grandparents wrote me August 6th, 1994 it read,
“Congratulations: School may be over, but you never stop learning so go and let the world know you are there. Sometimes it takes a while…”
Twenty-four years later, I’m emotional about how concise and pungent their wisdom.
If they were here, I would write them a letter of gratitude, “Grandma and Grandpa, thank you for the twenty-five-word letter, twenty-four years ago. When I graduated Baylor that summer, I thought my life was going to be full of blue skies, rainbows, and lucky breaks. We lived that summer in a one-room four-hundred square foot chink-logged cabin with a wood burning stove and a sink. Life has looked a little different than I originally imagined it would. But I bet you knew that would happen.
Per your advice, I have never stopped learning. “So go and let the world know you are there”. Wow-how did you know that would be so important? Back then I would have thought that just happens automatically, “Hi everyone”. At forty-five, I’m continually stepping into my greatest loves and areas of strength, like writing and speaking.
“Sometimes it takes a while” I agree, it does take a while to become a craftsman. I’m finding that there are no guarantees on how long it can take. I have learned I can’t control the outcomes, but lucky breaks are more readily available the longer I keep at it.
I’m going to hang this letter on my office wall so that on days when it feels like its taking longer than it should, I’ll remember your loving advice and belief in me.
Love you and miss you guys,
Aaron
