Presents

Hey all. Tomorrow is the big day. Or maybe the not-so-big day. I got a present today. Actually, Mom got me an outfit and a purse Friday, but Alex gave me a cool homemade gift. It has music notes all over it and P-A-M in red foil behind a clear transparency-type cover. That cover has writing on it.

"The secret of all of those who make discoveries is that they regard nothing as impossible. Be yourself. That's all there is of you. To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived This is to have succeeded. Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. Be silly. Be happy. Be kind. The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding. Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. Life is a festival only to the wise. Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitation, to waste a moment on yesterdays. The greatest gift is a portion of thyself."

I'm going to frame it and hang it on my wall. I know just the place. :)