BRING THE HOPE

Hope in DC

I'm always amazed by how much inspiration I can find around DC. Yesterday, I went for a run by the U.S. Capitol. Then, I turned around and rolled across the mall past the Washington Monument and toward the LIncoln Memorial. Wow...that was fun.

But, the highlight of the run was seeing all the middle and high school students walking around DC. Seeing the kids brought back great memories of my field trip to DC when I was in sixth grade. I hope there were some great future leaders in the groups that I ran past.

Here are some pictures of what I ran past yesterday. Nice.

  

 

How To Be Optimistic

Welcome to Monday. We're a long way from Friday, but with Independence Day right around the corner, we have a short work week to celebrate.

So, did you catch what just happened there? That was optimism and it was easy.

Here are a few more thoughts on how to be optimistic compliments of wikiHow. My favorite tip is to Be Thankful. If you want to see the others, click here.

Have a great and optimistic Monday.

Hope Is In The Cards -- Love These Guys

Don't you love getting care packages in the mail? I sure do and I got a really good one yesterday from our new friends at Hope Is In The Cards. The package was full of some very cool greeting cards with messages of hope and optimism. Stuff like...

"You Can Do Anything, I Believe In You."

"Dreams Come True. Anything Is Possible."

"I Believe In Hope. I Believe In You."

The back of the card tells the story. "Hope Is In The Cards was founded by Russ Haan. The idea is simple - in these difficult times, we need to reach out to one another and keep HOPE alive. If everyone in America sends just one card of HOPE to someone else, that's 300 million positive messages circulating throughout our country."

If you happen to be in NYC this weekend, be sure to swing by Battery Park between 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. to see Hope Is In The Cards. They plan to have a big red wall with free cards. You pull one off the wall, write a message of hope to a friend and they'll give you a stamp so you can mail it. Pretty cool.

Enjoy the weekend.

Inspired Piano From Dax Johnson

I found this inspired video on YouTube last night. I really enjoyed it and I think you might too.

Hope in Pictures

Sometimes hope is in what we see all around us.

Here are some examples.

What's your picture of hope right now? If you have anything to share, please pass it along. Hope is important, but the real opportunity is passing it on to others.

 

 

 

Make 'Em Laugh

Looking for another reason to quickly flip past all of the reality shows on TV right now? I found one last night when I landed on a PBS program called Make 'Em Laugh.You've probably seen this program before, but it's new to me and I'm already looking forward to the next episode.

According to the network's web site, Make 'Em Laugh is a six-hour documentary split into several episodes. The subtitle of the show is "The Funny Business of America." Check it out if you get a chance. There's a lot of stuff on TV that's worth passing by, but this isn't one of them. A few good laughs are one of the best ways to bring the hope.

Robin Williams was featured during last night's episode. Here are some of my favorite jokes of his. Enjoy. 

"Never pick a fight with an ugly person, they've got nothing to lose."

"In England, if you commit a crime, the police don't have a gun and you don't have a gun. If you commit a crime, the police will say "Stop, or I'll say stop again.""

"I'm a very tolerant man, except when it comes to holding a grudge."

"Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"

"If it's the Psychic Network, why do they need a phone number?"

"We had gay burglars the other night. They broke in and rearranged the furniture."

"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."

Endangered Species Brings The Hope

Are you a fan of Endangered Species Chocolate? If not, you should be. This chocolate is really something and it tastes even better knowing that the company contributes 10 percent of net profits to support "species, habitat and humanity."

Now, the folks at Endangered Species Chocolate are getting into hope in an even bigger way. The company recently launched an "It's Time For Hope" initiative. As part of the effort, people can submit essays about how they bring the hope and you can read about them on the company's web site. Or, you can submit a story of your own for a chance to win a $5,000 donation to the not-for-profit organization of your choice.

That's cool. As the Endangered Species people like to say..."at the base of all positive change is the idea that it could occur. Feeling, believing, thinking…hoping that good things will happen causes us to fully engage in the process of making life better. We all have the opportunity now to focus our energy on making the planet a better place. It’s time for HOPE."

Much Love to WestPoint Financial Group

It's Friday and I have an important tee time at 11 a.m. Today, I'll play golf with a couple of hundred friends to raise money for orphaned kids. I look forward to this great outing every year, because the pros at WestPoint Financial Group really know how to throw a party.

They've raised more than $150,000 over the last five years and most of that money has gone to  benefit the KidsFirst Foundation. The Foundation puts the funds to work building playgrounds for kids in institutional care in Russia. The conditions these kids live in aren't the best and these playgrounds will give them the chance to exercise, play and well...be kids.

Bring The Hope will be going on a mission trip to Russia this September. So, some of the funds we raise today will go with us when we travel. As I've said before, the generosity of all the golfers just blows me away and the people from WestPoint Financial (especially Greg and Jill McRoberts) are rock stars. Cheers to all of you for bringing the hope to kids in need around the world.

Enjoy the weekend.

Gregory Alan Isakov and Brandi Carlile

I've been playing this song from Leonard Cohen a lot lately. Gregory Alan Isakov and Brandi Carlile do it justice and then some. The lyrics are pretty heavy, but the performance is inspiring. Hit play on the video and close your eyes. You'll enjoy the ride.

Live Expectancy Rambling

Time flies when you're having fun and my days and weeks have been flying lately. But, since my grandfather passed away earlier this year, my kids have had lots of random (and often very funny) questions about dying and how long I think I'll be around. My stock answer is usually, "don't worry, Dad will be around for a long time."

But, the reality is that none of us really know how long we have. So, I decided to plug some information into one of those fancy online life expectancy calculators last night. The good news is that I'm estimated to have another 21,000 days to kick around. The bad news is that I'm not estimated to live forever.

So, what should I do with this information? My plan is to make all of those 21,000 days count for something. The estimate might be 21,000 days, but I'm not going to take one of them for granted. Happy Hump Day to you and yours. Get busy living...

"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." - James Dean

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." - Maria Robinson

"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching." - Unknown

"The most important things in life aren't things." - Anthony D'Angelo

"Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Norman MacEwan