Dear Aidan,
You've got Uncle Skipper's eyes. The color, the twinkle, it's all Skipper. And when you scrunch up your face in a grin for photos, well, that's Skipper too. I never got to meet Skipper. He died when he was just a kid. He drowned while on vacation with his parents and siblings. He was Papi's older brother. Raymond Dean, born on the 4th of July. When you're older, you'll have to ask Papi to tell you stories about him. Skipper was a cool little kid: kind, funny, loved carrots (according to what my great grandmother told me when I was little).
I can't imagine how much pain your great grandma went through when her oldest son died. I don't know how any parent is able to deal with something like that. It occurred to me many years later that that must have been why Grandma taught your Auntie Kim and I how to swim. It's also why your Papi won't let people go rafting or canoeing on the river without a life jacket. It's why I don't like for you to be anywhere near water without Daddy or me there to keep an eye on you.
I don't want you to be afraid of the water, but I do want you to be aware that bad things can and do happen. I want you to learn to swim and to be able to go in the deep end without holding my hand. I want you to be able to jump off the high dive and go in the ocean without fear. I love you.
Love, Mama
