What I've come to realize in recent days is that God has a larger plan for my life than I had. I know that everything that has happened to me, both good and bad, has all been leading me to this point in time, preparing me to understand my duty to Him and to my fellow human beings.

I used to think that if I was successful, in business matters or personal things, it was because I was smart, or clever --- but that was wrong. Success was no more my doing than having blonde hair or blue eyes was ... Success was a gift and I need to use it wisely, not in my self-interest, but for the greater good.

I pray that we all be appreciative of the blessings that God has sent into our lives, that we all strive to be worthy of those blessings, and that our goal should be to share those blessings with as many other people as we can.

The best gift we can give our children is to leave the world a better place than the way we found it. We must pursue justice and peace with all our hearts and all our strength, remembering that changing the world happens one person at a time.