Dear Owen, 

Welcome to the world, buddy. 

At some point a few years down the line, you’re probably going to read this blog post. By then you’ll probably have gotten tired of listening to mom and dad talk into microphones in the office. You’ll probably be wondering why we keep podcasting week after week, month after month, year after year. The truth is, this silly little podcast is a big reason you’re here today. 

Your mom and I began recording together almost eight years ago to the day I sat down to write this. At that point, we were friends living on opposite sides of the country. Sometimes, though, friendship can become more when you get to know someone more and spend more time with them. We wound up finding love where neither of us expected it in this silly little podcast. Hopefully you can indulge us, even when we sound like absolute dorks. 

By the time you can read this, you’ll no doubt be aware that Star Wars is something that’s important to your parents and you’ve learned that because of those silly podcasts we record. Maybe it’s something you love too! But hey, you’re your own person with your own interests and joys. I hope that you can find something that brings you as much fun and meaning that Star Wars has for us. And yeah, we’ve definitely found some meaning in Star Wars over the years. 

I’m generally someone that tries not to turn blockbuster media into some sort of religious experience, but there are some lessons in these silly space wizard films that are important and some I think will help you down the line. In Star Wars, there’s a recurring theme that runs throughout all the movies, television shows, books, and comics: hope. 

Hope is important. Hope is vital. Hope is the thing that can keep us going when it feels like all is lost. 

It was a long, difficult, frustrating, and sometimes even painful journey to bringing you into our lives. We had setbacks, we had false starts, we had years long stretches where no progress was happening. I won’t tell you that you won’t feel dispirited, angry, or sad during difficult times in your life because it does happen to everyone. We certainly did, but we held on to hope, even when it seemed that we’d never get out of the darkness. We held on to hope that someday we would get to see you, hold you, raise you, and love you. Your mom and I learned that sometimes, you need to lean on others to help you reach out and connect with that hope. We leaned on each other, and we want you to know that you can always lean on us when you need to. 

A wise princess once said that “Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it, you’ll never make it through the night.” 

You’ve been born into a world that finds hope in short supply, I’m afraid. It’s turbulent, often dark. Darker than any other time in my life. But here’s a secret, Owen: you’re a beacon of hope for me. The world is going to need good people who strive to do the right thing. Who strive to make the people and community around them better. It’s my hope that your mother and I will be able to raise you to be someone that can be that shining beacon. You’ve already taught me to hold on to hope, because you brought both your mother and I through the bleakest time in our lives. 

You have it in you to amplify the hope not just in your parents, but everyone around you. Always strive to be your best and to do something every day to make the world a little more hopeful. Be the kind of person the world desperately needs more of. 

With love and hope,

Dad