In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a commencement speech at Stanford University where he talked about connecting the dots. He said that it is impossible to connect the dots looking forward in life. But it becomes very, very clear looking back at life.

When you write a letter to your grandchildren, you look back on your life and you can connect the dots. You can see clearly how one thing led to another and in the end it all made sense. Illustrate this with your grandchildren. Let them see how your decisions and fate led you from “A” to “B” to “C.” This will change their life view for the better.

This will help them understand that during their lives they will struggle to make sense of things at the time. Things won’t make sense. Circumstances will be hard. But, they will be fortified with the knowledge that one day in the future they can look back and make sense of it. This gives them hope during hard and frustrating times – when they really need it the most. 

Providing hope and understanding that hard, chaotic and painful times are temporary and ultimately they will make some kind of sense will provide real world help when they really need it most. Let them know that pain is temporary. That they need to keep going. Every painful experience provides lessons that help them down the road. Just keep going. Life makes sense looking back. Just keep climbing those mountains so you can reach the heights where looking back can reveal the path you had to take to get where you are now.

Tell them to trust the road. Give them faith in themselves and the process. This faith will provide them with critical self-confidence and a belief that they will ultimately find their way. These gifts could mean all the difference in their lives. Your letter has that power.