I was hoping beyond hope that your Great Grandfather, Carroll Atherton, would have an opportunity to meet you before he passed. But, I'm sorry to say that I am, once again, here in Kentucky, only four months since your Great Grandmother Alberta passed. Yesterday, we buried Grandpa Atherton at the same cemetery where my dad and your Great Grandmother Alberta are buried.
Your Great Grandpa taught me a lot things that I hope to teach you one day. He taught me that if you are going to do something, do it right, or don't do it at all. He was thoughtful, respectful, and a real gentleman. He worried a lot, but not about himself - he worried about others, and was very generous with his time and sacrified a lot for his family. My mother tells me there were times when I was growing up that my mother didn't know how they survived. That was your Great Grandpa's doing, I suspect.
Right now, there's a chain of fast-food restaurants called "Kentucky Fried Chicken" that has been around for many years. I'm sure I've told you by the time you read this, but your Great Grandfather knew Colonel Sanders, the man who started the restaurant, and sold him his first calculator. I suppose that was his claim to fame. He was also President of the Rotary Club in J-Town (Jeffersontown) and he inspired me to join the Rotary Club out in California. I plan to teach you the "Four-Way Test" and hope you'll try to live your life by it, as I have tried to live mine by it:
Of the things we think, say, or do:
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build good will and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
He taught me things by counter-example, too. He taught me not to worry so much, as I know that contributed to his decline in his later years, and he also taught me to cultivate my hobbies, because he didn't really have any. He had outlived all of his friends from his youth, and though he had fantastic neighbors who became his dear friends, once the love of his life passed, he had nothing to focus his energy on, save for his family, and so he slept a lot. That was his way of coping, and I so wish that he had been interested in some hobbies - distractions that he could, in his advanced age, still enjoy.
When someone you love dies, you're confronted with the realization that you don't have all the time in the world; that there won't always be tomorrow. I have felt a shift in my own mindset this week - even since yesterday afternoon. I want to do something important - something that has a positive and lasting effect on the world. The legacy that your Great Grandpa left was the love of his family, and I hope that when my time comes, I have done justice to the Atherton name, and to his memory.
I can't get home until Monday, which means I'm going to have to miss the baby shower for you tomorrow. It makes me sad that I won't be there with your mom's family and many of our friends to celebrate your highly-anticipated arrival. Your mom has been pregnant with you for 36 weeks today, and things are looking good. She knows you are a strong baby, and we are so looking forward to raising you and seeing the man you become.
We love you dearly, talk about you constantly, and laugh about your antics even now. Your mom went to a breast-feeding class a few days ago, and the whole class burst into laughter when you kicked her fake baby off of her chest! You've got some powerful legs already, which I'm sure your mom will want to turn into soccer cannons!
I have vowed that my next trip out here to Kentucky will not be for a funeral, but to introduce you to your family that has had such a positive influence on me, and that I hope you get to know as you grow up.
I love you,
Dad
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