This is a grown-up father’s letter to his sons about choosing priorities: family, country, and God. Written while on a busy train run as “The President’s “Drug Czar.”,” it mixes plain advice with steady values and a practical push toward friendship, learning, and physical health. The note frames family as the anchor and points to research about faith, all delivered in an urgent but calm voice.
Dear Boys,
This Letter is being written on a train in the early evening during a very busy week for your Dad, The President’s “Drug Czar.” I may not get it all said the way I want to but I thought it better to write some of it down because you can never tell. I hope when you read this we’ll be able to talk about it. I trust we will.
My message is pretty simple. Remember, Revere, Trust and Hold to the best thing, the most important things. And I believe they are your family, your country, and your God – Our family, our country, our God. There are other important and great things – friends, learning, physical well-being, and activity – but the three things I’ve mentioned will over time give more to you of value than anything else.
You can still enjoy other goods without losing the main ones; those three anchor the rest. They help you make friends and be a friend, they give purpose to learning, and they push you to do your best in sports and competition. Keep the main things main, and the rest falls into better order. That’s what steady priorities do for a life.
Your family is your base. It’s your anchor and your moorings. You are always welcome there, and there should be nothing you cannot discuss with me or your mother, and in time probably with each other too. A home that listens and forgives is the strongest shelter you’ll ever have.
Love of country matters because a free nation is the stage on which every good thing takes place. Patriotism is not just a feeling; it is responsibility: to vote thoughtfully, to serve where needed, and to teach the next generation what liberty costs. If you cherish your country you will protect the institutions and traditions that make self-government possible.
Faith is a compass that helps you make moral choices when the map gets confusing. Hold to your God not merely as ritual but as a way of life that shapes how you treat others and what you expect of yourself. The habits of belief and practice matter because they tend to survive trial and steady your judgment.
NEW STUDY REVEALS THE SINGLE MOST CRITICAL FACTOR IN WHETHER CHILDREN KEEP THEIR FAITH INTO ADULTHOOD
Studies like this matter because they underline a truth you already know when you see steady families and consistent example. The choices parents make about faith, example, and conversation often echo far beyond the home. If you want to pass on what matters, you have to live it plainly and patiently.
Remember that virtue is learned by repetition and example, not just by instruction. Work hard at character the way you work hard at a sport or a class. Keep your friends thoughtful, your habits disciplined, and your promises kept; over time those simple acts build a dependable life.
Be brave enough to stand for things that matter and humble enough to learn from mistakes. Seek counsel from good people, read widely, keep your body fit, and listen more than you talk when the stakes are high. If you do these things, you will find that family, country, and faith give you a meaning that nothing else can match.
