Open Letter to Samuel David Cheney

Welcome to the world, Samuel! It is a bright and beautiful world we live in and I am glad you are here to join us!

You are a very lucky boy. Your mother, Mary, seems very nice. I have never met her or her partner, Heather, but I have heard your mother interviewed. It sounds to me like you are going to be in a home surrounded by love.

When it comes down to it, love is all that is important.

Now, there are those who are going to criticize your mother and her partner. Ignore them. They are people who do not understand about love. They only understand about the importance of their own personal opinions. Ignore them and they will go away.

There are also people who criticize your grandfather. I admit that I have criticized his choices and decisions from time to time. Ignore us, too. Your grandfather is a good hearted person. I may not agree with some of his ideas, but he is still your grandfather. That is good enough.

Not that you have asked for it, but I do not have a toy or money to offer as a gift, so I will offer this advice instead: Listen. Listen to people. Listen to what they say. Watch what they do. Make very few comments and make the choices that will benefit the most people.

A writer named William Shakespeare once said, “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” These are good words to live by.

I wish you well, young Samuel David. Good luck and do good work. We know, with the good people looking out for you, you will have a good life.