Dear Brady,

I know you heard the sadness in the voices on TV yesterday and saw Mommy and Daddy’s worried faces. It’s hard to hide the hard parts of the world from you, buddy, especially as you get older. You hear about it on the radio and your friends talk about it at school. But here’s what your daddy and want you to know…

There is so much good in the world, sweet boy. But there are also bad guys who do bad things. There are tricky people and bad people, as much as I wish it wasn’t so.

But hear this… their hate will never win. Ever. Do not be afraid. You believe in something much, much bigger than them.

The bad guys never ever come out on top. Because you see, our world is founded on goodness. It’s at our core. Hate is a thing that happens when the all the love gets sucked out. There are people in our country who are in charge of stopping the bad guys, but it’s our job, buddy, to be the good guys and to fill the world up with love. It’s our job to spread love far and wide. And who knows, the kindness you show could help fill up the holes in the hearts of the people who hate. We can help friends in need. We can choose to use kind words. We can be includers. 

A lot of very special men and women fought (and are fighting) hard to protect our freedom to be the good guys. So now, more than ever, it’s especially important that we always choose to do that. And all it takes, is choosing love, no matter what. The bad guy stories can be confusing. So just remember this, if you’re ever confused about whether you should choose kindness or respect, the answer is always yes.

With all my love,

Mommy

image by Laura Foote Photography