To sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please CLICK HERE.

In the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, a dying Father Lehi counsels two of his rebellious sons to, “… arise from the dust, my sons, and be men” (1 Nephi 1:21). Anciently, the patriarchs counseled their sons and grandsons with a tender embrace and a blessing. Like the proverbial Last Will & Testament, these blessings memorialized the right of inheritance. But unlike a modern will, a blessing also expressed the family patriarch’s spiritual praise, guidance and warnings to his posterity.

Why wait for your Last Will & Testament or an elusive death-bed embrace to impart to your children and grandchildren the wisdom and wealth of a lifetime? For all the grandfathers and fathers out there, permit me to take poetic license with the word “wealth” by suggesting that we, like the ancients, can pass along our accumulated wealth to our children and grandchildren in blessings of comfort, praise and guidance.

To my 14 grandsons, here is my blessing in the form of an open letter (a blessing for my wonderful granddaughters to follow in a subsequent letter):

Dear Grandsons:

You are blessed with talents and challenges. Remember that no talent is above its purpose, and no challenge is below your ability. Perfect your talents and welcome your challenges, for there is purpose and power in the struggle with both. Each of you is a unique son of a loving Heavenly Father. You are also an earthly son with a good name, loving parents and a legacy of family and individual service. This legacy is a bridge from my grandsires to your own future children and grandchildren. It is a bridge worthy of your foot-traffic.

As I pass the torch to you, I pray you will follow three gems: beware, be you, be true.

  1. Beware your choice in voices. Heed the voice of the Spirit. The opposing voices are pleasant companions, but feckless friends (suggested by President Spencer W. Kimball).
  1. Be you. I have known many young men who rebel against God so they can “be themselves”. The trouble is, self-identity is an iron mask that can’t be removed without God’s image in your countenance. Once you know and honor God, your real identity blossoms in the limitless sunshine of character. Being you does not mean always doing what you want or what feels good in the moment. As wise kings learn: “to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). Be you, by becoming the person God intended you to be. You are born of royal blood. True royalty is not privilege but service.
  1. Be True. Shakespeare said, “To thine own self be true.” With deference to the bard, your grandfather says, “To God be true, for He is the author of loyalty.” True loyalty never asks you to compromise your principles for friendship, your good judgment for gluttony, or your faith for faux-happiness.

In closing, it is a grandfather’s right to age in the sun-mellowed seasons of life’s labor and loss, and to reflect on success and failure; both are wise taskmasters, so don’t be afraid to fail or succeed. I leave you my parting wink: I’m a little jealous of your youth, with all its decades to waste or win. May you win, and may your victories never be easy or unappreciated. May your star light the path for others, for that is the definition of a winner.

        Grandpa Bill