To all my friends, my allies, my most loved,

Over the years, I’ve been blessed with so many incredible lessons and countless teachers who brought those lessons to me. My struggle has always been to filter through all of them, find the most true and profound and (this is the hardest part) live them and make them manifest in my life. Can I share with you the ones I have found to be most true and profound, not only in my story but in the stories you have shared with me?

1. Smile. Smile incessantly. It will catch people’s attention. It will lift your spirit and theirs. And it will make them wonder what you are up to.

2. Cry. Cry when you feel it. Please don’t hold that back. Your tears have blessed me in countless ways. I hope mine have done the same for you.

3. Sit in silence everyday. Once in the morning and once at night, if you can. But at least ten minutes, in silence, in the same place, everyday. Near a window that looks outside. This one single act will change your life.

4. When you wake up in the morning, maybe while you drive or ride, ask God this question: “Lord, where do you need me today?” Then, listen quietly. Maybe for, oh I don’t know, ten minutes?

5. Say thank you quietly. What are you thankful for today?

6. Say thank you out loud. Who would you like to say thank you to today?

7. Drink lots of water. And if you do it in the form of green tea, even better.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like prince and dinner like a peasant.

9. Affirm someone whom you know needs it and someone that you think doesn’t.

10. Waste time with people. The greatest gift you can give someone is your unscheduled, agenda-less time. You will show them their worth far more than you could ever tell them. (Thank you Sister Vicki!)

11. In the crises that invariably join us on our journey, ask this question. “In ten years, will this really matter.” The crises will either slip away quietly into memory or you will realize a strength in you that you are only beginning to become friends with.

12. Forgive those who have hurt you before you feel like it. They need it more than you do.

Thank you all, for being a part of my story. However that has happened, I am grateful for you all.

In the Kingdom,

Doug