Priorities- Its easy to let other responsibilites ruin what really matters.

I could write more than you would ever want to read on the importance of prioritizing your life properly but I will try to limit myself to those things that mean the most in life.

Money sucks, the constant pursuit of money whether it be for survival or the ever popular pursuit of happiness consumes many lives and destroys marriages and families. As you go forward building your careers it is easy to allow yourself to become consumed by your professional life and justify your neglect of your family as the necessary side effect of being a good provider. While providing for your family is certainly a huge priority in life it is important to remember that your family needs your love and understanding far more than all the toys money can buy.

As I reflect back on my life I have a hard time remembering the stuff I so cherished back then. the things I remember are so much more important and guide my life today even after 20+ years. I remember going to work with my dad and spending hours on the road talking about everything you could imagine. The hours we spent recounting the history of a certain area or even discussing the impact a person could have by going back in time and having something as simple as a watch with them. During these precious moments in my life I never really cared about the fact that we didn't have a lot of money. In fact stopping at a gas station and microwaving a really bad burrito just added to the experience and to be honest every now and then I heat one of those gut bombs up and get feel happy as I recount the time we spent together.

My mom has always tried to make time for each of us as well. The truth is being the mother of six "Aitken's" requires a woman with the talents and love that only my mom could offer. We are a very demanding group who seem to think we are entitled to a bit more than is really deserved. As I look back now having kids of my own I think I understand a little better how difficult it must have been to keep up with us all and stay positive during difficult financial times and the certain loneliness she must have felt as dad spent weeks away working to keep our family moving forward.

I can't imagine how hard it must have been to be in a small town hundreds of miles from your family trying to keep up with six very active kids all by yourself. The things I remember is a mom who never complained to us about it. I remember a mother that never involved us in the financial struggles all families seem to go through and parents who always took their arguments to a private place where we couldn't overhear. My parents have always put their kids first by either sacrificing their own wants to pay for little league or drill team to making sure we felt like we had everything in the world even when times were difficult.

The true blessings of my parents properly prioritizing their lives is the fact that my family is still as close as they come. Their sacrifices taught us that family is the single most important thing in life and that we all have a responsibility to look out for each other. Their influence will affect Aitken's and others for generation after generation as grand kids and great grand kids and even great great grand kids follow the parenting pattern they have set.

I cannot express to you kids the importance of staying close with each other. I have no greater friends than my family and know that no matter what comes my way in life I have a huge team behind me ready to help me get through it.

Our inheritance is in our never ending love for each other and the example your grandma and grandpa Aitken set in how to properly prioritize your life and how to really raise a family that loves each other.

Life is full of distractions including work, money, play and the everyday stresses of just making it through the day. Your grandparents have set a wonderful example of properly addressing those concerns but making sure that they keep the real purpose and priorities in life in focus.

Kolbie, Kaleb,Payton, Nerlande and Yonelson, I want you to know that my brothers and sisters are the most precious friends I have. I am very proud of each and everyone of them.

Your Aunt April is one of the most loving, creative and artistic people I have ever known. So many times through my life she has stepped in and made things possible when I most desperately needed them. The amazing thing is that it didn't matter if it was something as insignificant as a Halloween costume or as important as her last few dollars she has always been willing to give whatever she had to others when they needed it. Kids, take time to learn charity and kindness toward others from her. She has always been such a huge part of my life and I hope that as we all go forward she will continue to be a huge part of yours as well.

Your Uncle Jeremy has always been my hero as big brothers have a tendency to be. he is a wonderful example of determination and will never fail to be there when one of us needs him. He is amazingly talented both with his hands and his mind and has blown me away with his ability to grow and learn things most people never understand. I really don't know that you will find another person who can go out into his garage and completely fabricate a motorcycle on the weekend and then go into the office and perform as one of the most talented and capable President/COO's of a 20+ million dollar business in the world. Your Uncle Jer is one of the most amazing examples of never giving up and not setting limits on yourself that you will ever find. He fought his way from a set of circumstances that would have spelled doom for almost everyone and has achieved more than most ever will. When all the world would have predicted failure he built himself into an amazing success.

Your Aunt Elisa has a capacity to love that has always amazed me. She is simply one of the very strongest people I have ever met and that is one of the reasons we have asked her to be your guardians if anything ever happens to mom and me. Her ability to love, thrive and work to improve herself through whatever challenges life throws at her is exactly the example we would want you to follow as you work to grow into the men and women we hope you will be. Aunt Eli also has the ability to love everyone as if they were her own and we know she would make sure you had everything you needed and all that we dreamed you would have.

I have always been amazed at the natural talents and abilities that your uncle Mike has. All of those amazing abilities have paled compared to the man he has proven to be since his coma. I don't know that any of us will really understand all that he has and will have to go through to regain the level of performance he once had. I can tell you however that Mikey has carried himself in a way that can only be described as noble and I find myself having another hero brother in my life. I hope you can remember the fact that Mikey never seemed to say why me or back down from the very difficult tasks of learning to walk, talk and even swallow again. I hope you remember how he stayed determined to be a champion in all he does including every single difficult step of this journey. If I tried to tell you that I could have been half the man your uncle Mike has been through something as difficult as this I would simply be a liar. Look to your uncle Mike to learn how to win, watch how he gets up and tries again no matter how many times a jump, life or even a coma tries to knock him down. He is a champion and you can be too if you learn to never give up, Mikey has mastered the never give up attitude and I hope you all learn to win from him.

And last but not least is your Aunt Carrie. I have always felt that Carrie was a little too sweet and kind for this world. She has one of the most sweet and pure hearts you will ever meet. She is incredibly talented in music and art allowing her to be the only member of my family to excel at playing an instrument. I always felt like she deserved a trophy like Mikey for her performances and hope she understands how proud I was watching her play on stage. She is a perfect example of love and acceptance and how you should carry yourself in this life. Take the time to learn tolerance and forgiveness from Carrie as she is the best example of those two traits I have ever met.

As you can see my brothers and sisters are not only amazing in their own rights but create an unbelievably strong team when all their talents are brought together. You are from an extremely strong family and there is a lot of responsibility that comes with being an Aitken. The great thing is that those responsibilities are also the greatest blessings you will ever receive in life. You are responsible to each other and for looking out for each other. You have to be examples of love, kindness and an example to the rest of the world on how one should conduct their life.

I love all of you so much and don't worry about you becoming the people you are meant to be. You are all very amazing people with talents that will take you very far.

Remember that prioritizing your life properly will allow you to remain happy through even the most challenging times in life.

Love,

Dad.