The Book
Toward the end of his life, my father—despite extreme physical challenges—composed letters to every person who had touched his life in some way. Using the one hand that still had a degree of mobility, he painstakingly typed messages of rumination and appreciation to family, friends, and even inanimate objects that had made a positive difference in his life. These letters served as his memoir and were passed down to his children. But after years of cherishing them as a family collection, I recognized the value of the lessons within the letters and wanted to share them with a larger audience. By crafting meaningful context around each one and organizing them into the primary tenets by which my father lived— Empathy, Altruism, Fellowship, and Devotion —as well as several other notable themes I have included as "interludes," I have endeavored to enable readers to connect in their own way to the deeper messages at the heart of my father’s reflections.
In today’s technology-filled, fast-paced world where soundbites and acronyms have become the norm, the art of the handwritten letter has nearly disappeared. But I hope to change that. With my belief that connecting in the written form has the power to create huge and lasting impact, I invite you to find inspiration in my father’s words and become part of the movement to create a Life Through Letters.
People are saying ...
"A Life Through Letters is more than a beautiful tribute to a father’s life by his son. It is a deeply personal, beautifully presented invitation into the mind of both the author and his father, as well as a deeply personal view of the relationships that mattered to a man of character. Beyond the life lessons shared, it is an elegant reminder that we all must take the time to honor those who matter to us, by word and by deed. Bravo, Ash Davis!"
—Phil Macko, founder of Second Starters
