Letter to Peanut

Those of you that are my friends, family, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram probably know that I have been given the honor of being a Godfather. My cousins Jen and Jon had a beautiful little girl a little over 3 months ago. I was thrilled for them when she was born, it was a long, challenging 9 months for all of them. However, now she is here and healthy. Putting aside the argument of when Jen and Jon asked me to be Aubrey's Godfather (since we all know I'm right), it was something that moved me beyond belief. The fact that they thought enough of me to ask me to play such an important role in that little girl's life made me instantly want to become a better man. Last weekend, Aubrey was baptized and as the Godfather I got to go up with Jen, Jon, Aubrey, and her Godmother Rachel (or my Cuzzo). It was such a cool experience for me, but ultimately there was something else that happened that weekend that meant even more. That night, after Aubrey (or Peanut as I like to call her) was baptized, and everyone had gone to bed, I went into her nursery. Peanut was sleeping in Jon and Jen's room, so her room was empty. I got the opportunity to sit down in the rocking chair and pray of her room, her crib, even her toys. While I was praying for this beautiful little girl God put it on my heart to write this letter:

Dear Peanut--

At the time I'm writing this letter, you don't even know your name. You are merely 3 months old, but I have been head over heels in love with you since your Mom and Dad told me they were expecting your arrival. I wanted to take the time to write you a few things that I want you to always remember. This letter is going to contain my hopes, dreams, and wishes for you, along with my promises to you. My dream is that you will grow up into a Proverbs 31 woman. That you will pursue Christ with a burning passion in your heart, and that you will realize that His love is unmatched by anyone else. I hope that you will love and honor your parents, cling to your family, and help anyone and everyone you can along your way. I wish that you will achieve your dreams, attain your goals, and reach for the stars. I promise to guide you in any way that I can. By that, I mean:

I will be there to listen when you are mad at Mom or Dad
I will be quick to remind you that Mom and Dad are (almost) always right and (generally) know what's best
I will be there to celebrate your achievements and reassure you during your failures
I will be available at any time, day or night, even if it's just to tell you that your hair doesn't look bad for school picture day (which will probably be a complaint from the time you are in kindergarten, you are a girl)
I will be there when you need my help, even when I am far away
I will help to teach you everything I can, and be eager to learn what you have to teach me
I will walk with you as you begin your life with Christ and I will be there when you have questions
I will be there to try and convince your parents to let you go to that party or movie (as long as there are absolutely NO Boys)
I will be there when the first guy that doesn't stand a chance comes to pick you up for your first date
AND I will be sitting on the front porch in camo with your Dad cleaning our guns or shooting bows just to scare the tar out of that kid
I will remind you that I know how boys your age are, because I was a boy that age at one time
I will scream and cheer when you do anything your heart tells you too
I will cry when you cry
I will laugh when you laugh
I will spoil you beyond your wildest imagination (I will even help you argue to your Dad that you need a pony even though you live in a suburb)
I will send you care packages while you are in college
And even bring you a case of beer on a random visit (only when you are 21 of course ;D )
I will call you to tell you are beautiful and I love you just because I know you need to hear it
I will be intentional about being relational with you
I will be intentional about finding the woman that God wants me to spend my forever with, because I know that she has to love you as much as I do
I will never endanger your body, mind, or spirit
Most importantly I will always, no matter what, no matter where I am, no matter how old I get, I will ALWAYS love you for exactly who God created you to be. You already steal my heart, because you are unlike any other girl. You will ALWAYS be my Peanut, even when it embarrasses to be called that. I will always be the funny guy, even if it means I have to pull a blanket over myself and act like a bear (inside joke). I will pray for you daily... for your heart, health, mind, spirit, comfort, peace, future, present, and forever. You are such a blessing in my life, and I am excited to be your Godfather. I hope that our bond will only grow as you grow older. As far as you will ever know, I will always be 25, so just humor me there. Never forget to thank God for your life, your parents for their love, and me for making you laugh (joking as usual). Always remember that you are beautiful, smart, charismatic, funny, and my little Peanut. I love you.

Always and Forever,

Uncle B aka The Godfather