Dear Family,

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to tell you how much I love you. I’m writing to tell you that though the distance between us has grown, the amount of love has not shifted. Full of desire and hope for you to become all you are meant to be, I write these letters to encourage and inform you on your journey. Though I begged and pleaded for company as I set sail to establish a future that would become unrecognizable, I understand the difficulty in seeing what can only be envisioned with the heart. I understand the difficulty in leaving what is familiar and trading it for the uncomfortable unknown. But it’s time. It’s time to sail.

No, I have thousands of miles to go before I reach my destination, but I can testify to how far God has brought me. In spite of my silence during the time I’ve traveled, I’ve learned so much and experienced quite a bit. It only feels right that I inform you that I have begun to carefully place my “findings” (in the form of these letters) on the trail—not just behind me, but behind the many I have learned from and will continue to learn from. Some were left behind for walking the right path, and others for walking paths to avoid. Not because I am correct, or to claim anything of that sort, but as a love letter in hopes that you find your way to your own freedom.

Let’s label these markings BREADCRUMBS. And with these breadcrumbs, I promise to be authentic. I promise to use my words only (not AI), and I promise to leave them as I travel. Meaning I won’t force anything just to speak, but will drop them as I learn—sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly. My promise is to always speak from the heart and let God be the only influence. A newsletter sent periodically—something I’ve wanted for a long time and have finally reached a place in my journey where I’ve gathered the courage to do.

One of the many things I’ve learned while traveling this journey is my love for writing and storytelling, which is odd because I’ve never been considered a valedictorian in any season of life. English has never been a strong suit, but take this as our first breadcrumb: it is never too late to change unless God says no, and as long as you’re breathing, God says go.

I hope you’ll be patient with me. I hope you’ll invite me into your heart and carefully hold the breadcrumbs I leave for you. Some of these letters will feel intrusive, as I promise to be vulnerable and honest. Some will feel cold and harsh, because I will still promise to be vulnerable and honest. Overall, my goal is to communicate—to help—and to deliver on the promise I made to myself. To deliver on my word as to why I started this journey in the first place.

Because I believe there is more for us. I believe there is freedom and another way to live, and I wanted to give that to you so you too can experience freedom. Now I know our timing is different. I know God gives us all the same purpose, but how He calls us to live that purpose can look very different. Thus, our journeys and timing can vary. But God’s principles and the laws of the land remain the same across the board. And that’s what I hope to accomplish here.

In a world of technology and phones, I hope to stuff these letters in a bottle and float them down the ocean—trusting they reach the exact place at the exact time God intended them to.

My name is Earl Clarkson, and these are my Breadcrumbs.