In Memory of.....

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs

He has been called a visionary, the next Thomas Edison. 

Whatever words you may have for Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, it is important to reflect on his words given at a 2005 commencement. To become what he did, a true rags-to-riches story of a college dropout living the American dream, he didn't just leave a ripple in the water, he left a tsunami! 

As I watched the many tidbits referring to his untimely passing from pancreatic cancer yesterday, I marveled that he had lived with this cancer for seven years! Seven years! Pancreatic cancer is swift and silent, many don't realize they have it until it is too late, yet once he knew about it, he determined to make the best of his life rather than slinking off to die. In the past seven years, look at the innovation that Apple has come up with: the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad as well as computer upgrades. The lives he has touched, the people who became more educated because of the advancements he has made is truly astounding.

I cried also because I see so much talent going to waste. What have any of us done to leave our mark in this world? It doesn't have to be as dramatic as creating a computer empire, it can be anything. Who did you bestow a smile upon? What words did you use to make someone's day brighter? What gesture did you perform, what act made another's day more special? Never think, "but I am one person...what can I do?" Yes, you are one person, yet to another, you may just be one very important person that means everything to another.

Begin today by leaving your mark upon society. This month is cancer awareness month. How did all those pink ribbons come into being? It started with a promise a sister made to another who was dying from breast cancer; that somehow a cure could be found, that others would be made aware of the insidiousness of the disease. Thanks to a gal named Nancy, Susan J. Komen is probably one of the more known names around. All it takes, my friend, is one action. One act can propel the world to new heights.

Go on, make that difference today.