Below was an assignment that myself and some of my team members completed. The assignment was simple, to write a letter 5 years from now to someone that you love, who is living or not. Write the letter in present tense the way that you picture your life 5 years from now. This was a good assignment for me and I could have kept writing and writing to be honest. I want to thank Tyler Atkins, who first taught me how to do this exercise.
Daddy,
Since you went to heaven, I have always wondered if I have made you proud. It was something I unknowingly struggled with. I know it wasn’t your fault when you left us suddenly Oct. 31st when I was just 9 years old. But for some reason growing up through my teenage years and even into young adulthood I wanted to hear you say , “I’m proud of you son”. Today Daddy, I know that you would have been proud me and its not because of the successful accomplishments that I have achieved although I can’t wait to tell you about that as well. Today, I know you would be proud of me because I have maintained a high level of ethics. I have honored you and mama the best way that I could through the way that I have lived my life. In all personal and business relationships I have worked to carry a spirit of integrity. I’m certain, I have made mistakes but have done my best to always correct or honor any mistake that I have made. I only had you for 9 years of my life but those were the most important years, the first years of developing me into the person I would become. Today I’m 37 it’s 2017, I have a lot to catch you up on and I know I’m going to miss a lot but I will do my best.
First I have married the most incredible woman on the planet. Her name is Carmen. She is beautiful and has loved me more than I could have ever asked for. You would love her I have no doubt. When we got married, I remember walking down the aisle thinking “Dear God in heaven, please let my daddy see this”. It really was one of the moments that I missed you the most. The day before at rehearsals I remember as I was walking Mrs. Johnson, who officiated our wedding, down the aisle she looked at me and said, “You know your mama shared something me. She said your Daddy, always wanted to be a millionaire, he wanted to be an entrepreneur”. With conviction and urgency in her voice as we slowly walked down the aisle just as we would the next day for the wedding, “Jackie you are doing that, you are an entrepreneur and you will be a millionaire.” I just remember my eyes filling with tears probably like they are doing now. I had never known that side of you, although I did remember how hard you worked to provide for our family. You would have been an entrepreneur daddy. Papa and Grandma, had that country store, you know the one where you use to like to shoot pool. Well they sold it to Uncle Pat, he turned it down at first because he said he felt like it would have been offered to you first if you had been alive and he felt like he was taking something away from you. Uncle Pat, still owns that store today. You would have been a great entrepreneur Dad. By the way, Uncle Pat has done very well. In fact outside of Stacy he is the one person who I have been fishing with the most since you were gone.
Also Daddy, we have had two kids which means that you have two grandkids besides Alexis, and Edgar. One boy and one girl, we were going to name our son after you but Stacy beat us to it. However, we have started a non-profit foundation in your name. I will tell you more about that later. We have bought a home and paid cash for it. This isn’t our dream home yet but it’s a great home. I’m writing this to you from our back patio beside the pool. Our current home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It’s about 2500 square feet with a great office suite and master bedroom. I work from home so the office space is one of my favorite areas. Also Carmen loves the master bedroom. We both love the kitchen, I know you always liked cooking and Carmen is an amazing cook. I feel so lucky to have her and especially around dinner time. Dad, this home is paid for we have no mortgage and we are 100% totally debt free including the rental property that we own. I will tell you more about that too. Back to the our Foundation that is in your name, we started this with the purpose of helping single parents who are taking care of kids with terminal illnesses. We fund wishes for terminal kids similar to the “Make-a-wish” foundation. I have a heart for single moms and dads because obviously after you had to leave mama was left taking care of Stacy and I when we were just 9 years old. Obviously I believe she did a great job overall, but I do remember the struggles. I remember when we had to make a choice between a Christmas present and a Christmas tree. Now compound that with a parent taking care of a child with a terminal illness. God prepared me for this role when I became a nurse. I was a Cancer nurse but I always felt that I just could not take care of kids with Cancer. Emotionally I thought it would be too difficult. I wanted a way to help those parents, have more good memories with their children and a way to bring happiness to those kids during such a difficult time in their life.
It’s been a good life Daddy. Through the work that I do, I feel like we change people’s lives literally every day. Our products are in the travel industry and we give people a way to travel and vacation with their family when many of them may not have been able to before owning our products. We give families ways to travel more often while taking much better vacations. Vacationing has become affordable for almost any one, families are using our products to travel with their kids to places I could have only dreamed of as a kid. Since we lost you, the one thing I have always had are my memories of you. Now I am helping other kids create forever memories with their parents. Also our company has an income from home program and I have been instrumental in training many other moms and dads and helping them to create an extra income. This has been more rewarding than my time a nurse. Think about it, we are giving parents a way to financially provide security for their kids. We are helping them to get out of debt, and to save up for college funds. I am witness this is change in countless families not just because of the work I am doing personally but because of the work others are doing throughout our company. Daddy I feel so fortunate to have found a way to teach people literally step by step how to earn an extra income. There are no gimmicks, no hype, just a step by step process. I can show people where I advertise, what scripts to read, how to order the product, how to get further training when needed, literally everything they would need to start making a small or a large income from home. I just wish you could be at our next training event and meet the stay at home moms and dads or the full time working moms and dads that have become incredible part time entrepreneurs and some are becoming full time entrepreneurs. I have vacationed with these people, I have met their kids, and we have served communities through volunteer work together. Some of the greatest people, I have ever met in my life, and I wish they had met you and that you had met them.
Dad one of these days I will be called to meet Jesus just like you did, when that time comes I want you to know that you have left a legacy in me and I will continue your legacy beyond just me. Our kids and our family will be changed generationally going forward. My kids and my grandkids will be humble but accomplished men and women. They are not starting where you did or even I did. The Bilble, talks about leaving an inheritance for your kids and I am in the middle of building that legacy as I write this right now. Our legacy will be one of integrity, and one of financial wisdom. I have already started the kids with skills in basic money management. They are always allowed in my office if they are quiet when I’m on the phone. I often see them pretending that they are on the phone the same time I am. They are just playing but I know they are already watching my communication. I will be teaching them how to read scripts as soon as they can read. I will have them on real estate closings with me as we continue to develop our real estate businesses. I want them to grow up around business. I am grooming them to take over this legacy and create it into their own. We now have 3 rental properties bought and paid for. We are looking to pick up 3 more this year. The reality is I no longer have to work to provide for my family, I could be retired now at 37. I have enough income coming in from real estate and other business investments to provide for us. The only reason I work now is to provide a legacy for my kids and to provide more through our foundation. My goal is to continue to change our world by helping as many people as possible. Overall life is good, I have traveled to the most exotic places, smoked the finest cigars money could buy, lived in some nice homes, ate some of the best food on the planet, and now every day I work not just looking to attain more I have all that I could want, now I have a new generation to raise in our home and I have a world to help change for my kids and my grandkids.
I love you daddy, will see you again one day.
Your son,
Jackie
