Joshua Graham reads a letter to his Godson

Joshua Graham reads a letter to his Godson encouraging him to read and shares a story about when the boy's father first learned how to read.

AI voice by ElevenLabs, original writing by me.

Transcript:
Elliot, my Godson... ...I know its a little late but your birthday present should have arrived by now. ...I hope you like it... ...and when you wear it I pray you remember how much I love you...
...Your father has kept me informed on your progress in life, he has no other choice... ... he tells me how easily you learn, understand, and retain what you're taught. We're both swollen with pride due to you... ...Though there is one thing he told me that garners my concern for you, his as well, I'm sure it is a transitionary opinion but is one that still requires mentioning... ...you don't care to learn how to read? ...my dear child... ...you're too curious about life to limit yourself in such a manner!
Had Yahova meant us to live by the spoken word alone he would not have instructed his servants to write the Good Word you own today... ...Humour me, ...my beloved, look at the book you yourself own. Does it speak to you aloud as I do to you now? ...Of course not! If it did then there would be no need to read or write. Does your father simply conjure words from his mind while looking at the pages he has read to you? ...We both know that would be a silly thing and is untrue.
Hold onto wisdom and it will hold onto you, and to be wise you must read. To share that wisdom you must write, one cannot be done without the other. ...My beloved boy, I will frustrate you on purpose by writing you a letter. You will have to learn to read to know what I will tell you in it, no one will read it to you... You will have to read it yourself and I know you eventually will... ...you are so much your father's son and so much your own person so let me tell you a story about your father when he was exactly your age... ...he wasn't taught how to read... well, he was taught halfway in school but the dedicated time given to reading in classroom was taken from him and given to auxiliary mathematics... ...He had to learn on his own as no one gave the time to teach him further. ...It wasn't because your grandparents didn't care, it was that they wern't told he wasn't being taught! ...So when he learned on his own they assumed he was taught in school and he didn't think to tell them otherwise until years later...
...The first time he read an entire book on his own was alone in a corner of the school library... ...he told me, from what he remembers, that it 'just clicked' one day and things spiraled from there... ...the only thing besides that, that he remembers, is a serene sense of joy when he looked at the page and understood what it meant... ...what it 'said... ...he 'knew' and the only thing he did afterwards was pick up another book to understand what it said as well... ...Perhaps it will be the same feeling for you... ...perhaps it will be different... ...but his experience is somewhat similar to my own but the joy was all the same... ...you will feel that joy Elliot... you will feel an understanding you haven't known before, and being your father's son I know you will love it just as we both did.