reach, love, laugh

Every picture tells a story... (photos of David from Naomi Campbell)

REACH: I have decided this morning that it's time for a few - admittedly gratuitous - pictures and comments from the Connecticut grandson connection.

In fact, we'll ramp this post up to "Grandaddy Letters" status. It's been a while since I've written a specific communiqué for the inimitable David Henry Campbell and a couple of these photographs have jogged my consciousness in the right direction.

"Dear David, this is your grandaddy Derek. I'll try to be brief....." I can't help but smile when I look at this picture with the toy station. Here you are, just four months old, and you're reaching, grabbing, pushing buttons, doing your best to make something happen.

You come from a family that believes not only that we can all make a difference, but believes that we were placed here in this world specifically to make a difference. Making a difference is our job, our purpose.... You're already discovering that - much as you enjoy watching your mama play with your toys (and one day you're probably going to have to hide them from her!) - it's more fun to get involved yourself.

Way to go, David! Keep reaching out. This is just the beginning.

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. (Psalm 127)

That's right. I love your grandma too!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE: It does my heart good to see that you love your grandma! Know what? I love your grandma too. She's awesome in so many ways and I pray that you have the opportunity to know her more and more as you grow. However, now that you've opened this conversation about love, I want you to know a couple of important truths on the subject.

First, the most foundational truth about love has to do with faithfulness and commitment. Love has more to do with choice than it does emotion. In fact, the best emotions emerge in response to faithfulness. So understand this: We are your grandparents and we choose to love; you can count on that love 100% and for every day of your life.

The other thing I want you to know about love is this: LOVE DARES. Too many people live without coming remotely close to their potential, and more people still fail to love at anywhere near capacity. And here's the thing about capacity - it increases the closer we get to full. So I want you to be extravagant when it comes to love. We weren't created to hold back, we were created to live - and to love - in abundance.

"Evidently you're a funny little dude"

LAUGH: Finally, I'm so pleased to see you laughing (evidently you're a funny little dude). Seriously, there's simply not enough laughter in the world today. So learn to love (we'll be talking about this a lot over the years), and please-oh-please become a world-class virtuoso of mirth too.

People who learn to laugh (at themselves, with others, in response to difficulty...) are not only happier, but they make the people around them happy and at peace.

Laughter is a lot like love in this respect, and this word goes with the idea of "reaching-out" that we began with. We were placed in this world, dear David, with the expectation that we would live to capacity, love with faithfulness and generosity, and bring joy and meaning via our passion for life and our inner peace.

• Live to capacity;
• Love with faithfulness and generosity;
• Bring joy and meaning via our passion for life and our inner peace.

reach, love, laugh

Love, and laughter, and reaching out are huge elements of the path to inner peace. So keep it up, kid - we're already so proud of you and we are brimming with excitement for your future.

In love, and because of love - GRANDADDY DEREK

(for more "Grandaddy Letters" posts, click on "Grandaddy Letters" in the key words....)