I hope, as your father, I’ve done enough to instill within you how science is a wonderful adventure.

To laugh at our efforts as they were on such a small scale, too small some would say to make a difference, and then smile when we think about the number families just like ours that did the same thing.

I am working every second of my life, with every ounce of my being, to ensure that I am leaving you and your brother a planet that is safe and secure.

I commit to you to change one thing a year in our lifestyle to live more environmentally friendly.

I am a better person because of you, and I want the world to be a better place for you.

Thank you — Thank you — without you, I would not hear butterflies singing, without you, I would not understand black bear humor, or the creativity of jays planning their breakfast, without you, I would not feel flora whispers of long-lived wisdom on the back of my neck while sitting in Padmasana.

More than getting through a global pandemic that has already taken hundreds of thousands of lives around the world, our true feat is even larger: to secure our long-term health and the health of the ecosystems upon which we depend for life. To do that, we have to cut our emissions in half in the next ten years, and continue to reduce it beyond that. And to succeed in that, we need to fundamentally shift the way we do EVERYTHING.

When I asked you why the purple Violet called to you, you told me it was “magic”. I hope that you can still find the magic of life. I hope, despite everything, it is still in abundance.

May my tomorrow include more attention to these details so that you know that I do care.