March 10, 2019

Dear Callen,

I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written, but it’s been a crazy last year or so. We had a tough weekend that inspired me to sit down and write to you, and I realized just how long it has been since I’ve done this. Where to even begin? I guess the first thing is that we now live in Utah. Surprise! There’s a lot to go over, but let me explain how we got here.

Almost two years ago my company announced that they were closing their office in Connecticut and consolidating to their office outside of Salt Lake City. It was a real shock to many of us, especially me since I had worked out a unique arraignment and schedule to allow me to care for you. They offered me the opportunity to move to the new office, with a promotion, but we would have to leave everything and everyone behind in Connecticut. This was an extremely difficult decision for me. Our family was a huge support system that kept me sane and allowed me to work, even with my adjusted schedule. Your Grammy and Auntie Katie were a lifeline I will always be grateful for. In Utah we would have no support system, it would just be us. Needless to say many people in our family wanted me to stay and find a new job.

Obviously that didn’t happen. I made the decision that moving would be the best thing for the two of us. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I thought it what was best for us. Then, and now, you’ve needed a special level of attention and dedication. When you have your bad days, I need to be have the flexibility to leave work as needed to get you. As a single parent, no matter the location, when you are sick I need the ability to work from home. I had this in my current job, and part of the relocation agreement I negotiated was that I would maintain ultimate flexibility to work around your needs. In another job I feared I would not be able to care for you the way you needed.

There was another reason that I felt we needed to make the move. My boss personally asked me to go and help him make this transition a success, and we owed him. When your mother was arrested and kicked out of the house I thought that we were going to lose everything. There was no way that I could continue my current schedule, working second shift, and care for you all by myself. When I returned to work a few days later I met with my boss, on the verge of tears, to tell him what had happened and that I would need to resign. He didn’t accept that it, and instead asked what he could to to help out. Since that day he’s always respected our situation and made any accommodation I’ve asked for and helped push my career forward. I had the chance to repay that good will by moving to Utah and helping him rebuild our org, and for everything he did for us it was an easy trade.

There’s some important lessons here that I want you to always remember:

You can never know what expect out of life. Sometimes your life gets turned upside down without any warning. Don’t be scared, consider all options, and know you’ll be okay in the long run

When you’re a parent you have to make tough decisions. Don’t let other people influence your decision. Do what is best for you and your child. I’m not perfect, but I’ve always tried to do that.

Sometimes the scariest decisions are the best ones.

Jobs come and go. If you’re smart and work hard (and with a little luck) you will be successful. Finding something you enjoy doing and working for someone you respect is worth more than a pay bump or a fancy title.

If you end up managing people remember that last point. Being a leader is more than making your numbers, its about the people who work for you and how you treat them. I try to model this behavior everyday with my teams.

I have to catch you up on everything that’s been going on since we got here, and I promise I will do that soon. There’s been a ton of great times as well as some struggles. I just wanted to let you know I love you, and no matter where we are that will never change.

Love,

Daddy