I was in the process of composing this letter when I read a most beautiful letter from the Mehrings (in The Malibu Times) which echoes my thoughts exactly, (thank you for voicing how many of us feel) with one exception and that is. . .
Could I possibly say thank you to each and every one of you fine community fathers who have touched my sons’ lives (Cody and Jesse) in the past 18 years? I could only hope to try and I pray that if I don’t mention you by name, please know that your contribution to our lives resides in our hearts as a shining light.
Happy Father’s Day to you and to all of you. I am deeply indebted to you for the years of sharing yourselves by lending your precious time to be a spirit and guiding force to so many sons who are not necessarily your own. (And thank you to the families for sharing your fathers and husbands.) My family has been blessed to live in a community that has enveloped us with warmth, kindness and shared in your bounty.
As I see my son, Cody, ready himself to graduate from Malibu High School and walking into adult life as a decent, kind and intelligent human being, I would like to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for all your guidance, your examples of what honorable men should be and your generosity with others than your own families.
I haven’t forgotten all the amazing ladies in my sons’ lives who have extended yourselves in the molding of young humans. You are too numerous to count, so I thank you and you have my deepest gratitude as well.
These especially noteworthy men that I mention have been truly important in the raising of my sons and I wanted the community to know how lucky we are to have them living amongst us as we raise our children. Their contributions in either time or effort have directly or indirectly benefited our children and I want to thank you ever so much.
Alan Armstrong, Aaron Landworth, George Lawbender, Steve Cole, Phil Cott, Mike Matthews, Jon Bayless, Tarek Shraibati, John Cary, Tom Erhke, Steven Ravaglioli, John Embleton, Bill Bixler, Roberto Molina, Bill Baldau, Mike Mulligan, Forrest Stewart and Jesse Peterson.
You each have meant ever so much to us in a variety of ways. Thank you. May you all have continued blessings in your lives.
Avesta, Cody and Jesse Carrara