A Boy's Fairy Tale Life

The following is a letter written on Father's Day by our 19-year-old missionary son to John, my husband and his step-father. This letter is used with permission...

Dear John,

Let me tell you a story.

There was once a 13-year-old boy with an older sister, two younger brothers and two younger sisters. The boy had a father who he didn't know TOO well but who he deeply loved. One day this boy woke up to the news that neither he nor his brothers or sisters would have a father any longer. Of course you can imagine the effect this news would have on a boy of only 13 years and you can, of course, imagine how his life would be drastically different from that point on.

Moving forward from that point, the boy lived on without hope of a father in the future. Who could possibly replace that man who had raised him from his birth?

Well, who would have guessed that just a few months later the boy's mother would meet the man of her dreams and shortly after that they would be married and the man, expecting his first child, the mother, her seventh? Who, then, would have guessed that that same man, for the next 6 years, would provide for and take care of that family of 6, 7, 9 and then 10? And who ever would have guessed that that now 19-year-old boy would serve a mission for the Lord and always look up to that man who encouraged him to do so? That same man who was willing to sacrifice everything when the Lord needed him to bless the lives of a family in desperate need.

I can tell you that that stubboorn little boy sure wouldn't have guessed any of that. But it sure happened and had it not, there might have been a very sad boy with a very sad mother and five very sad siblings who would have, never again, had a dad.

Now, of course, thats not a very detailed or very well told version of the story but it's got the parts that matter and mean the most. And, because of that man who replaced the boys father, there is a very happy boy with 9 very happy siblings and a very happy mom.

Thanks John. Happy Fathers Day.

Love
-Elder Cox

P.S. I know it's cheesy... But I also know you like cheesy things.

Addendum: The P.S. is part of the boy's letter, too.

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!

See how we're doing it HERE! :)