To My Son

(dedicated to Christian Charles Leslie Smoot)

From the first moment I saw you

I knew you would be special

Seeing you come into the world

Filled my heart with joy

And fear

For I know there is a long road ahead of you

There are many things I want to show

And teach you

Many things I want to shield and protect you from

But I know I cannot prevent all things from happening

I pray that the better qualities of me you will inherit

Leaving the lesser qualities for myself

Holding you, watching you smile

I now know what true love is

There is no greater gift that God has given me

Than you

I know I am not perfect

And sometimes you will not understand the things I do

But I only hope that one day you realize

I only want the best for you

Better than I had it, better than I ever hope to get

For you are my son

I want to give you the world

So you'll never have to fight for it

I want to show you the sun

So you'll never have to look for it

I want to fill you with my dreams

So you'll never be lacking of them

But alas, I must accept that you will have to

Live your own life

As I have lived mine

Always be assured, my son

That I love you more than life itself

That there is nothing I will not give you

Or do for you

I wish that I may live long enough to see you grow and prosper

And that God will give me the strength and wisdom

To be able to teach you the things a father should teach his son

But as you go on in life to forge your own destiny

Never forget that God is the ultimate protector

And keep Him close to your heart

For I will only be with you for a time

But He will be with you always

As I look at you now, I see the world totally different

What I once viewed with skepticism, I now embrace with optimism

Things I once feared, I now accept

For there is a whole world waiting for you to claim it

And I will always be there, to help you

You are my son

I am your father

I pray nothing will ever break us a part

I am a part of you

As you are a part of me

Remember to love people, even if they don't love you

Keep hate as far away from your heart as you can

Remembering that love does truly make a difference

Times will not always be easy

But in time you will understand

Success is forged in the heart

So that you might become a Man.

Chuck Smoot

January 17, 1997

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