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Good Afternoon. Here is a great thought for the day:

One day, about a week after the terrorist attacks in NYC, my five year old son, Nick, was waiting patiently for me to arrive home from work. Once I got home, my wife asked him to tell me what he did that day in school.

Nick looked at me and didn't say anything — he seemed nervous and timid. My wife said he'd been called to the principal's office.

"What did you do now?" I asked.

"Nothing, Dad," he shot back.

I said he must have done something wrong if he had to see the principal, but he said, "Nope."

Nick then explained that his kindergarten class had been discussing what had happened in NYC and how some children had lost their parents. He said he felt very sad for them and wanted to do something nice to cheer them up. So Nick took half of his savings out of his bank and gave it to his teacher. He asked her to buy toys for those children to brighten their day. The teacher was so overwhelmed that she began to cry.

She took Nick to the principal to explain what he was trying to do. The principal then shook Nick's hand and asked if this was all his idea. Nick said, "Yes." The principal explained how proud he was of Nick and that this was one of the most kind and generous acts he had ever witnessed.

Nick's contribution only totaled $15.50, but to him it was half of everything he owned. Imagine you or I doing something like that for total strangers!

That day, Nick gave us all a present. For me, he taught pride, disgrace, and hope: His generosity overwhelmed me with more pride that day than ever before in my life.

A few moments after the pride rushed in, though, I felt this humbling disgrace. I realized that what I had become and the way I was living my life was wrong. I had spent the last 20 years trying to grow up and mature into a "wise" adult. Instead, I hardened into someone cold and callous. Who was truly "wise" now — the adult or the child? Tough one to swallow!

The next time you find yourself complaining about the evils of the world, take a look in the mirror and consider that maybe the roots of the problem grow within you. They are constricting your heart and preventing love, compassion, and kindness from flowing into your thoughts and deeds. They are causing you to act like an adult and not a five-year-old. It's time we start to "grow down"!

Have a wonderful day.

"Each morning is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When the sun rises tomorrow this day will be gone forever, in its place will be something you have left — may it be something good. Follow your heart, it knows what to do."

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