Dear James, You love letters.  I do not know why you love letters.  But you do.  One day you will realize that those 26 foam letters that you love to arrange on the tub during bath time can be used to create magic, because when strung together, they create art that has no equal. As the Bible states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word is indeed powerful. All people love stories. Unfortunately, as asserted by a recent New York Times article, our current education system focuses more on teaching reading as an analytical skill instead of a…

Dear James, It is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Although there are conflicting theories on why this day is called Black Friday, most people do agree that it started in the 1980s when someone decided that this day was the official start of the Christmas shopping season.  And because it was such a big shopping day, someone also decided that most merchants do not turn a profit for the year until this day, officially putting them in “the black”, which means making a profit, versus being in “the red”, which means suffering a financial loss. And so, the term “Black Friday” was born. And since then, for some people,…

Dear James, Your grandmother and I were at the airport in Zurich recently after a two-week trip that included hiking in Scotland, a visit in Switzerland, and spending some time in Bavaria to attend The Passion Play in Oberammergau.  And as I sat in the lounge at the Zurich Airport Hilton on the eve before our return to the United States, I slid my right hand into my pocket and felt the Euros I had not spent. So, I thought what should I do with these extra 35 Euros burning a hole in my pocket? But the question quickly faded. But it would return as I watched our server hustling…

Dear James, Seventeen years ago, when Grandma Gizzy and I first purchased the land that would eventually become Gleneagles, we decided that we wanted to transform this beautiful, wooded lot into a place that our three sons would love and cherish – a place that they would want to share with their friends, and eventually, a place that they would want to return to with their families. Based on the number of times our boys have brought their high school and college friends here, we think we have succeeded. But none of those visits compare to the visit we recently experienced from you and your parents this past week. Quite…

James, It’s July 9th, 2022 and your dad is leaving Boston today to spend two weeks with Jack, Carter and Papa J in Great Britain. The last time the Franklin men took a trip together was in 2019, when we all travelled to San Francisco and the wine valleys, a trip we all loved. Your grandma Gizzy will be taking care of you in Boston for the next two weeks while your dad is away with his dad and brothers. And she is so happy to spend two weeks with you and your mom, who is also looking forward to Gizzy’s stay. The Franklin men will land in London early Sunday…