(Please note that this letter was written in May 2010, and was published in the 2010 Faith Christian Academy School Yearbook.)
Dearest Dominic,
Even before you were born I knew that you were destined for greatness: To be a great person who will achieve many great accomplishments, and make great changes in the lives of many people. You have never proven me wrong, and you have certainly made my life a great one, full of happiness, pride, love and joy. You are a gift from God to me and to everyone around you.
Dominic, you and I have always been a great team; from the day you were born and named Aaaqil, until today, when you have recently changed your name to Dominic. Both of these names are lovely, but I think I prefer your choice of Dominic which means “Of the Lord”. Dominic, you and I are a family, a small one maybe, but with all of the love, praying, strength, happiness, caring, productivity, efforts, joy, hard work, fun times together, (even the Back to the Future Ride where I had to close my eyes each and every time), trials we have faced together, enormous Blessings from God that we have received together, sicknesses where we have taken care of each other, disappointments in friends, all of the life learning experiences, all of the temporary obstacles which we made into stepping stones, all of our disagreements along with our agreements, the everyday ups and downs, we are actually an extremely large family in all that we have faced, achieved, conquered, and held onto our Faith and let God sail us through the storms to calm peaceful waters.
Son, you are enormous. You are my motivation, my inspiration, and my strength. In my recent emotional roller coaster you took such great care of me, and really proved your love and devotion to your Mother, and I have never been happier. I realize that you will make a fantastic husband and a wonderful father. I would encourage you to start speaking with your friends about your beliefs and feelings about the role of the husband and the father in the family, as although you have not yet experienced these roles, the high ideals that you have need to be passed around as inspiration for others. More than the best team member one could hope for, you are the best family member one could ever dream of having, and you are my everyday joy and happiness, as well as my comfort and strength; and, as well as being my son who I could never be more prouder of, you are my very best friend.
Son, for a time in your life you were searching for something you thought that you were missing in your life. It pained me to watch you searching, but I knew you would find the answer soon, and I knew you would find the correct answer. With God’s help you soon realized that what you were searching for is right there inside of you. With that realization, you are able to fully enjoy life, and realize that you are very Blessed, and knowing this has made my happiness complete.
Dominic, my son, you are in control of your life, and you must remember that every single choice you make will determine the way that your life will be. Never forget this, and always think carefully and make the right choices. Never be spontaneous whenever it comes to making choices regarding your life. God will always guide you, but you must remain in constant communication with Him; and always stay aware of God, and be open and clear headed to receive His messages; and you will never miss or ignore any of God’s messages signs and directions for you.
As you begin a new chapter in your life, always remember not to dwell in the past but to learn from the past. Always remember to stay focused on your present and your future; and to live and enjoy each day to the fullest. Fill each day with love and laughter, pleasant and happy thoughts, kind words, and kind deeds, and always remember to give thanks to God for everything.
Always speak your truth clearly, and always speak up for yourself, for as you have experienced, people are only too happy for you to take the blame for them. By not defending yourself you will be given the blame. Adhere to what you believe in and what you know to be right. Never let anyone or anything convince you to detour from the right path, not even for a second. Always be a leader and not a follower, and always lead in the right direction. There will often be times when you will lead and no one will follow. As long as you have made the right choices, and are leading on the right path and in the right direction, do not dismay. Keep on leading, and do not look back or slow down son, but continue moving forward and rising upward.
Dominic, you are an intelligent, analytical, caring, and fine young man who is destined to accomplish much, and affect many lives positively. Let nothing or no one deter you from this destiny. As I have told you so many times, not everyone who claims to be your friend really is one. Friends prove themselves by their actions and not their words. Sadly, many so called friends will envy you and try to pull you down to their level. These are the people that you must immediately cut yourself off from, and you can teach them by example, but do not befriend them as they will be like an anchor around your neck, pulling you down into the quicksand of their own idle and non- productive lives. Some of them will seek to ruin you for the simple fact that you are successful. Hopefully, you can make a positive difference in the way these people think, but teach them from afar, way afar.
Do not be easily tempted. Temptation and the Devil disguise themselves well, and most attractively. Temptations will be everywhere but keep your head to the sky. Ignore all temptations no matter how enticing they may appear to be. Walk with God and in times of need reach out for God and ask Him for His help, and God will take your hand, and He will guide you and protect you. Always keep praying to God, and keep in constant communication with him through prayers, talking to Him, and reading about Him. God has great plans for you Dominic W. Dowe. Do not let anyone or anything prevent you from accomplishing all that you have been called to do.
My son, every day of my life has been filled with the pleasures of love, joy, happiness and pride ever since October 23rd, 1991 at 8:41pm, when you my precious treasure were born. I will always be in your corner, on your side, and there for you, just as I have always been. Dominic, you are such a wonderful person, and you will always have my love, respect and pride. Apart from God, you are, have always been, and will always be, first and foremost in my life. More than anything else, I wish for you the very best of God’s richest blessings. God has truly blessed me as I have been, and will always and forever be your mother which is indeed a great honor.
Congratulations on all of the achievements and accomplishments you have made so far. I know you have many, many more to attain. This is just one chapter of your life that is closing with your graduation from high school at Faith Christian Academy. Both you and I will remain forever grateful to Faith Christian Academy for their contributions in shaping you into the fine young man you are today.
Congratulations Dominic W. Dowe, High School Graduate Year 2010.
Loving you immensely and always, with great pride, happiness and joy.
With all the love possible, for always and forever,
Love, Mom.
