Some of you may recall my note to Rachel, my niece who turned 13 a couple years ago.  Here is my note to Nathaniel, my nephew, on the occasion of his 13th birthday next month.

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Nathaniel,

In the book "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the relationship of three brothers is explored.  The first brother, Dmitri, is said to represent the body symbolically (he is a soldier).  Ivan, the second brother, a student at university, represents the mind of humanity.  The youngest brother, Alyosha, is a monk, so he represents the spirit or soul.  My words of wisdom to you are excerpts from the passage known as the Sermon by the Stone near the end of the book, where Alyosha speaks to his young charges on the occasion of the death of a classmate of theirs...

'...And whatever may befall us subsequently in life - even though we do not meet for twenty years hereafter - all the same let us remember how we buried the poor boy, the one at whom you formerly threw stones, do you remember, down there by the bridge? - but whom everyone came to love so later.  He was a wonderful boy, kind and brave boy, he had a sense of honour... Know then that there is nothing more lofty, nor more powerful, nor more healthy nor more useful later on in life than some good memory, and particularly one that has been borne from childhood, from one's parents' home.  Much is said to you about your education, but a beautiful sacred memory like that, one preserved from childhood, is possibly the very best education of all.'

'Let us, in the first place and above all, be kind, then honest, and then - let us never forget one another.  This I repeat again.  I give you my word, gentlemen, that I shall never forget a single one of you; each face that gazes on me now, this moment, I shall remember, even though it be for thirty years.  All of you, gentlemen, are dear to me from this day, all of you I shall enclose within my heart, as I ask you to enclose me within yours.'

Blessings, Nathaniel.  Live long and well.

With kindness, honesty, and memory,

Uncle Paul