Tom Hanks’ Heartfelt Letter To Personal Hero’s Daughters Will Restore Your Faith In “Celebrity.”

Tom Hanks went above and beyond this December to pay his respects to a personal hero, NFL legend Ken Stabler.

Ken “The Snake” Stabler died of cancer at 69 this summer. His daughter, Kendra Stabler Moyes, knew that Hanks was an old friend and sent the actor a piece of game day memorabilia.

Though his longtime hero had already passed on, Hanks took the time to reach out to Stabler’s surviving daughters with a heartfelt letter remembering the titan of the field.

Hanks sent the note below -written on a typewriter- in thanks to Stabler’s surviving daughters.

It’s not every day you get a letter from Tom Hanks. What a stud! So cool of him to reach out. #respect #throwdeep pic.twitter.com/o9E3r0TJjw

– Kendra Stabler Moyes (@KendraSMoyes) December 28, 2015

Here’s the transcription:

Dear Kendra and Alexa,

Beyond the heroics on the field, and, say, a Super Bowl victory, why a young fan takes to any one football player is a mystery. A personal attraction.

In Oakland, the capital of Raider Nation, the years I was a kid there we had everyone from the Black Panthers, the Hell’s Angels, the Zodiac Killer, and Charley O. Finley. And, we had the Raiders …

Your father, with his left-handedness and those two bad knees, displayed a permanent smile of bemusement that said – win or lose – “ain’t this fun?”I really did see in him the honor to be found in playing the game, of using one’s God-given talent, of taking pleasure in the effort.

That Ken Stabler came from the likes of Alabama yet played right there in my hometown helped me understand the variety found in the USA. Using a pair of pliers to change the channel on my busted up kids TV (it had a few knobs missing) I would tune in San Diego to see your Dad play, or Shea Stadium to see him take on the Jets – learning that if you were good enough you could do your thing wherever you wanted.

I’m honored to wear the fine bit of Stablerwear you sent along and will continue to offer up to anyone who comes my way, and maybe just asks how I ended up where I am, that you just have to throw deep, baby …

-Tom Hanks

Here’s the Takeaway: It’s a wonderful thing to see a movie star of Hanks’ stature reach out with a thankful attitude. Even someone who seemingly has everything they’d ever need has someone to look up to.  We all need a mentor to follow… find one if you don’t already have one.

Share this humble display of gratitude today!