“And children seem to be a bond of union.” Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
Moved by these words of Aristotle, I write here…
An Open Letter to My Child
Even your father can never tell you, because I cannot fully know, how good it is that you exist. You will ever be a mysterious wonder to me. Here is one thing, however, that I can tell you about yourself. You are a living bond. You bind me to your mother and your mother to me. By who you are; by your very existence.
You have not chosen this, nevertheless it is a truth about you. It is yours. And I cannot tell you how grateful I am.
It’s not because you look like both of us—though you do, and it always makes me smile.
It’s not because you act like both of us—which you do, sometimes in ways that make me blush.
It’s not because you love both of us—which is a gift beyond compare.
Perhaps it’s not even because we both love you—which we do with all our hearts.
I am not sure just why it is.
But this much I know: when I see you, I see not only you, but also your mother. No matter where you go, or what you do, your very existence will be a reminder, a sign of the gift that your mother has been to me, and that your mother and I have been one in love. And this is something no one can ever take from us, or from you.
Image: A daddy and his first daughter, a few years ago.
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great, has been considered by many to be the greatest ancient philosopher. The Nicomachean Ethics is his main moral treatise.
Originally posted at Bacon from Acorns
