Tyler,
Dude, you're 31. That's freaking insane. You probably still feel like you're 12 though. I don't think that'll ever change. Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with? Are you alright?
I decided that it would be a good idea to write to you now, since retrospection on today and the time now will be good for you wherever you are in life and it'll be sort of like a journal except not as much work, plus it's more personal this way. So here I am, sitting in Bread Co. on the straight up coldest day ever and I'm writing this to show you where I am, and hopefully in turn show you where you are as well (okay, maybe not the coldest day ever, but it is January in every sense of the word today; there's snow all over the ground and it's like 15 degrees, and I need to wash my car before the salt destroys the paint job, but anyways...).
I hope you know what you're doing. I hope that God has opened doors to lead you to a profession He longs for you to have, serving Him in every second of that job. I hope you have a safe home with heat and A/C and running water and lights because even though those seem like a given, they are such intense blessings and if you don't, that He's providing for you anyway. I hope that you love your wife and kids like Jesus does--enough to die for them and do whatever you need to to give them what they need.
I hope you didn't slack off during your senior year of college and through grad school, if you even did grad school, and that you used every moment to show Jesus off however you could. I hope that you have become a man that honors his word, isn't flaky, and doesn't lie---except about eating the last cookie before your kid could, you jerk (even though I know it was delicious and SO worth it). I hope you are leading your family and friends in a way that honors Jesus over everything, in place of everything, and in spite of everything, no matter what happens.
I hope you aren't spending your money like a rich girl at Forever 21 like you have all your life. If you haven't yet, get that trash under control, brother. Not cool at all. Budget like a boss, pinch your pennies harder than Mr. Krabs, and get yourself some solid foundation for the future.
Learn to cook, too, if you haven't yet. By now your wife has probably cooked everything and think how big she'll smile inside and out when you show up home from work with some real ingredients for some real food (for Pete's sake, not Ramen noodles and garlic bread), and then you cook it. You'll rock her world. Plus, food always tastes better when you've worked hard for it.
If you're not running, you should be. I'm not. I used to, and I loved it, and now I don't because I've let life get in my way and started making stupid excuses. You don't have any. Why? Because I don't have any. If your doctor says you can, do it. If you can't, it's only because he says so.
Love your kids well, too, man. I can't say that enough. Lay your life down for them, not just in being willing to die for them if it came to it, but make it focused in more detail than that. Lay down what you want unless you literally cannot, and give them the life you always dreamed of. Serve them. Love them.
I can't stress enough how much time you need to spend with Jesus, brother. You've been at this over 15 years now--a relationship with Him doesn't just happen. Invest invest invest!!
I really don't know a lot about you right now but I do know enough--you're gonna have one heck of a time from here out (I mean, haven't you so far?), so buckle up.
And give mom a hug for me because God knows you always need to hug your mother.
Peace out, Brother.
--T
