(a 3 minute read) Mark’s dad is on his last days. Mark and his brother Roy loved their dad. Always looked up to him, and continually yearned to learn from him. Dad sat with them probably for the last time to go over a letter he prepared for them.

Dad said lovingly, “This letter contains pretty much everything I have taught you over the years. And as he handed a copy to each, he asked, “What will you do with this letter?”

Roy jumped in quickly and with much excitement declared, “I will read and conform to all that it has in it. Actually, since it seems like a paper or two, I will make copies and keep them handy at work and at home. If something comes up, I’ll consult it before I render a decision or take an action. That’s what I will do.”

As brothers go, Mark was about to respond to his brother, but dad jumped in and said, “What will you do with it Mark?”

Mark began, “I will take this letter and of course read it. I am sure it will bring me memories of you, memories of things we’ve done together, of us laughing together, of you mad at me for things I’ve done and of you proud of me for things I’ve said or done. Then I will stow it away. Every once in a while I’ll pull that letter and read it again for a flood of memories. Then stow it away again, kind of like a treasure.”

Dad locked eyes with Roy and smiled lovingly, then locked eyes with Mark and smiled lovingly, and said, “Please open your letters, they are identical.”

Both Mark and Roy had a bewildered look on their faces when they opened the letter and with astonished gazes to each other their tongues were tied.

Dad commenced, “My dear Roy, what delight to me to hear that you’d follow the letter to the letter. Yet somehow I feel sad for you as you’d be depriving yourself of what I’ve taught you most. Even God had the angels to follow the letter to the letter, no questions asked, for Angles simply obey. Yet, God felt the need to create humanity with their freedom to make choices, hence to make mistakes.”

“And to you my dear Mark, those memories are for sure wonderful and full of love, sentiment and passion, and it brings me joy that you will hold this letter as a treasure, it makes my heart so very happy. Yet, I hope that along with these emotions the memories of the ‘why’ we did the things we did together, would make you wanna jump, delve, plow, explore and nurture the things you will choose to do, so that you are doing them with purpose and with joy, delight, bliss and even ecstasy .”

Dad continued, “You may think that the words to ‘keep’ and to ‘obey’ are synonymous, but I tell you there is a world of difference between them.”

Dad hoped that the few words on the otherwise blank page of the letter will make sense to his children;

“Act, but in every act be it out of love and of want
and not out of fear or trepidation”