LETTER #19 of “LETTERS TO MY YOUNG ADULT CHILDREN AND TO A WOKE, DECEIVED AND UNLOVED GENERATION” (Letter 19) by Daniel Whyte III, author of the National Bestselling Books: “Letters to Young Black Men” and “Letters to Young Black Women” First written over 30 years ago.
LETTER 19
Dear Danni, Danyelle Elizabeth, Danyel Ezekiel, Daniqua Grace, Danae, Danita, Daniel, Danielle Tekeela, Duran, and Kywaizia:
I pray and I trust God that you are doing well because you truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and because you love Him back for as He said, “If you love me keep my commandments” for that is the truly blessed life: keeping the commandments of the Lord. And don’t you ever forget it.
My November loving Thanksgiving remembrance of you is, since we did not have a good wife and mother in the home by Meriqua Whyte’s own admission and confession (even though she was in the house) she did not rise to the occasion of being a good wife and mother while you were growing up, and a woman we could depend on and trust to go into the store and buy the groceries in the way that she should and in the way that I told her to do it; therefore, when you children reached the age of accountability starting with Danni, Daniel and Danita, and then Danae, Daniqua, Danyel Ezekiel and Danyelle, from the time we lived in Columbus, Georgia, I thank God you children were willing from that time in Columbus, Georgia, to Irving, Texas to Cleburne, Texas, to Waco, Texas, to Granbury, Texas, to Austin, Texas and to San Antonio, Texas, etc., and even when we traveled to California in what I called the happy Christian music tour and towns in-between, I thank God for you all having the maturity and the trustworthiness and obedience to your father (for the most part) to pick up the needed groceries for the family. Going into the grocery store in most cases two-by-two and rarely just one, including not only Wal-Mart, which was our main store, but Winn-Dixie, Krogers, HEB, the Columbus health food store and the Cleburne health food store, Walgreens, Albertsons, Brookshires, Aldi, and a few times Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. And let’s not forget our old stand-by’s Dollar General and Family Dollar. For those few of you who got the spirit of thievery from your mother and you stole something from one of these stores, may God have mercy on your soul and forgive you of your sins, and now that you have jobs and money, swing by the store and pay them some extra money to cover the popcorn and candy that you ate in the store so that when you got back to the car I would not see you or catch you. Anyway, thank you children for stepping up when your mother did not. And as you know, I told her down through the years, she missed out on a great privilege, blessing, and tension-destroyer, which is going to the grocery store that most women enjoy, and even when coming back from certain places, and I would stop into a store and pick up certain things, I enjoyed it myself. Now, I know since you learned how to do it under my authority and watchful eye, now that you have your own money and freedom to buy what you want to buy, I believe you are enjoying it even more so as I have. And I know that when you go into certain stores like Wal-Mart, HEB, and Dollar General, you remember me as I remember you when I go into these same stores, even to this day. I am writing this letter today because this is the day that we actually start truly gathering what we need for Thanksgiving. I remember the scenes of you children helping me with that to this day. Oh, what precious memories!
By the way, do not feel badly about the fact that we will not be spending Thanksgiving together this year. As I have said before, let’s just be thankful to God and remember all of the wonderful, warm Thanksgivings that we have enjoyed together in the past. Glory be to God! I will never forget seeing Danni and Danita get up early on Thanksgiving morning to go fix the food, and then seeing everybody get up to have our annual Thanksgiving church service and then later eat the food and then relax by enjoying the game or some movie. Glory be to God again!
My loving Thanksgiving devotional “Text” is Matthew 6:7: “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
Danni, Danyelle Elizabeth, Danyel Ezekiel, Daniqua Grace, Danae, Danita, Daniel, Danielle Tekeela, Duran, and Kywaizia, I love you all very much, and I am praying for you without ceasing. Please pray for me as well.
Love God and Jesus Christ first.
Love Papa second.
Love,
Papa
