No. 2

Dear My Sweet Girl,

Lately I’ve been getting better at walking with my prosthetic leg. In our house we call it my robot leg. Barrett and Collin think that name is really cool, and honestly I do too.

Learning to walk with it hasn’t been easy. The hardest part was how much it hurt at the beginning. Some days it hurt so much that I wanted to stop and sit down.

But I kept telling myself something very important.

I’m going to figure this out.

Little by little I’ve been getting stronger and better at walking. Moments like that remind me of something I hope you always remember when you grow up.

Sometimes things in life hurt.

Sometimes they are really hard.

But if you keep trying, and you don’t give up, you can do amazing things.

Mommy and I also have a few fun things coming up. We’re going to see a comedian named Theo Von. Mommy and I don’t always think comedians are very funny, but this guy makes us laugh a lot. I really love seeing your mom laugh. She has a beautiful smile, and when she does, It changes the entire room.

We’re also going to two concerts to see some of Mommy’s favorite musicians, Morgan Wallen and Machine Gun Kelly. Before I met your mom I didn’t listen to their music very much. But she showed me some of their songs that aren’t on the radio, and I ended up liking a lot of them.

Sometimes the people we love introduce us to new things we never expected to enjoy.

Your mom has been working very hard growing you, so it’s important that we still make time to go out and have some fun together.

I’ve also been painting again. Right now I’m working on a painting with three colorful roosters. When I look at them, they remind me of you and your two brothers.

Each rooster has its own personality, just like kids do. When I paint them together it makes me think about family.

Another thing that has come back into my life lately is music.

For Valentine’s Day I learned a song on the guitar and sang it for your mom. While I was practicing it, something inside me woke up again. A long time ago music used to be a big part of my life. I was in a band and I wrote songs all the time.

Somewhere along the way I drifted away from it.

But playing that song reminded me how much music means to me. It’s one of the best ways I know how to express myself.

I learned to play drums when I was a little kid and that's mostly what I play, but lately I’ve been learning guitar and singing too. Now I’m trying to put all of those pieces together and start making music again.

Someday I can’t wait to show you the songs I make. Maybe you’ll dance around the living room while I play. Maybe you’ll ask me questions about the instruments. Or maybe you’ll want to learn music yourself.

Right now life feels a little bit like putting pieces back together. I’m learning to walk better again. I’m painting again. I’m making music again.

Step by step.

And when you read this someday, I hope you remember something important about your dad during this time.

I didn’t give up.

Even when things were painful.

Even when things were hard.

I kept moving forward.

Just like I hope you always will.

Love,

Dad