Two of our children, Jessica and Daniel, are cancer survivors. When a person survives cancer it gives them a unique perspective on life others don’t have. Daniel started chemotherapy the day after his 29^th birthday. Three weeks later our son who has been working out in the gym since eighth grade and had been the picture of health, had lost over 20 pounds / 10 kilograms. The chemo stole his weight, his hair and his strength.

You’ve heard the definitions of optimists and pessimists when they look at a glass of water. The optimist views the glass as half full and the pessimist looking at the same glass of water looks at it as half empty. They see the same glass, but have opposite views. Daniel explains the water glass differently. He says when you survive cancer you are thankful just to have the glass. As long as we have the glass (life) we have hope and something to be thankful for. Everyone reading this has the glass. Life circumstances (the water level) ebb and flow,...

 Cheryl’s face is scarred by a rare condition. She’s been to numerous physicians and two Mayo Clinics to no avail. The scarring on her face continues. No one is bothered by Cheryl’s scars, not even Cheryl anymore. I met her at the beach last week. She’s an avid stand up paddle-boarder (SUP) and SUP instructor. I’m a beginner. Seeing my obvious need for instruction she told me three things to do and had me standing up and paddling with confidence in a few short minutes, praising my improved technique.

Over the course of our stay at the beach we visited with Cheryl and she shared her overcoming journey. She transitioned from being extremely sensitive and self-conscious about her face to acceptance and not letting it stop her from pursuing what she wants to do. It was easy to observe that she’s passionate about helping others enjoy the pleasures and fitness benefits of SUPing. Her enthusiasm and passion for helping others is contagious and at...

This pandemic has been hard on all of us. Everywhere we turn to, from browsing our Facebook feed to turning on the news, it is full of sad, scary, and unsettling news. Yesterday, I read a post from a teacher who taught both of my kids; she shared that she couldn’t stop crying the whole day. It has been extremely hard for her not being able to teach her students face to face. She has been teaching for more than 30 years and has been one of the most dedicated teachers I ever met. My heart broke for her.

Today, I listened to a podcast, in which they interviewed the owner of Savannah Bananas baseball team. He shared how the pandemic affected his business – a business that is totally dependent on in-person events, and what he did to thrive during this time of uncertainties. Here are a few things that stood out to me.

1. First, he told his employees that they were in this together. He would sell his house first before he had to lay off anyone. He wanted everyone to shift their...

Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul” – John Maxwell

Our mentor and friend, John Maxwell, recently said, “Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul.”  This affirms that like our physical body needs oxygen to survive, our soul needs encouragement to thrive.  Ask anyone if they need encouragement, and they will reply “Yes.”  You need encouragement.  I need encouragement.  We all need encouragement.  So why is encouragement so important to us?

Encouragement empowers us to keep trying until we succeed.  Imagine a baby trying to walk – as she takes one or two steps and falls down, her parents clap and cheer.  She looks up beaming and tries again.  Every time she tries the parents cheer. You know the rest - two steps become three, then four and soon the parents are proudly posting progress videos all over Facebook.

In his book “Slight Edge”, Jeff Olson says we grow up hearing the word...