The Landers' Life: a letter to my sons

My intentions were otherwise, but I got a tiny bitta emotional and a whole lotta sappy today and wrote this letter to my sons. I hope you - and they - don't mind.

*****

My Little Believers,

Just before Thanksgiving, we spent three days and three nights aboard the Disney Dream. From Port Canaveral to Nassau to Disney's own private island, Castaway Cay, we experienced what was Disney World on the water.

Our last night at sea, we sat inside the Walt Disney Theatre one last time to watch "Believe" - a story about a girl and her dad - how her thirteenth birthday had almost come and gone, and her overly worked, overly tired, and overly stressed out dad had yet to spend time with his little girl. They clashed in more ways than one, but only one mattered to her - he didn't believe in magic anymore.

As the story played out, Disney's characters - beginning with Genie from Aladdin - helped him once again "believe". For her. Because she believed. Because she wouldn't always be this little.

I watch you get a little bit older every day. I see you grow. I can tell the minute you've changed.

And especially this season, I know the time will come when what you believe is real to you right this second won't always be real.

What you belive in will change and grow too - the questions we get asked almost daily are proof.

"Dad, is magic real? Mom, if I believe that Oscar is real...he's real right? Okay so was he the real Santa Claus?"

Our answers to you are and always will be this: If magic or Oscar or Santa is real to you...if YOU believe in magic or Oscar or Santa...then it/he is real, and we give you those answers because our greatest hope and prayer is that through them, we are teaching you to believe in what you do not see because you'll need to know how. You'll need to know how so you can believe in the one most important person of all - Jesus.

I do. I believe in Him, and I believe in you.

You are my magic.

You are my elves, and you are my Santa.

You are my wishes and dreams comes true.

YOU are the reasons I believe in what my eyes have yet to see.