Hey there,
Good morning and happy Sunday to you!

I’m so incredibly grateful for all this rain that’s come to the Bay Area this winter. To say we needed it because of the draught is an understatement but man, driving across the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday and seeing all the hills lush green instead of dead brown was humbling, inspiring, and breathtaking!

What are you grateful for today as you read this? What is going on in your life right now that deserves a moment of true appreciation? Drink it up, it’s the best!

So I have another question for you.

Who was your greatest hero growing up?

Hopefully you were blessed enough to be in a situation where you could answer it was one of your parents or both but that’s not what I’m asking.

I’m asking who was your hero that you didn’t know but because of how they were, how they lived, what they stood for, they inspired you to be great yourself?

Sandy Koufax and Willy Mays are two of heroes of mine for sure but they weren’t my greatest.

Mohammad Ali was another level for me but still not THE greatest?

For me it Martin Luther King.

I’ll never forget the first time I heard him speak. I was ten years old, sitting in a motel room in Lake Tahoe getting ready to go skiing with my family.

The TV was on and there he was giving a speech.

After several minutes I turned to my Mom and with astonishment asked, “Who is that?” She answered with great pride in her voice, “That’s Doctor Martin Luther King honey and he’s a great man.”

No kidding!

A few weeks later he was shot dead and I remember vividly the moment my mom told me the news. I started to cry like I’d lost someone I close to me and I had just met him.

In fact, it was weird how deep he’d impacted me in such a short time. And it had nothing to do with the civil rights movement. I didn’t even know a movement was needed at age ten.

It was him.

As the years have gone on my respect for Doctor King has only increased, even after his shortcomings as a man became public. In fact, knowing he wasn’t perfect and just a man trying to do his best to follow his heart with conviction made me appreciate him even more.

Driving home yesterday I started to think about him for some reason. I then I asked myself why did he impact me so? And my answer was clear – Martin Luther King has been and still is my greatest hero because he had a dream and he went after it.

I love that. I love anyone who has the courage to follow their heart and pursue their dream.

And then a began to wonder did Doctor King plant the seed in me to go after my dreams or was that seed already in me and that’s why he resonated so deeply within me?

And that lead me to todays newsletter topic – who was/is your greatest hero?

And why?

I’m asking you because I think there’s gold in your answer. I think whoever that person was/is for you, the reason why they inspired you is because you can relate or want to relate or must relate to what they stood for and believed in.

I don’t know if your answer will bring you some great insight but I am curious to know if it does so I’d love to hear from you as always. Please post your answers on our Facebook page or just hit reply and just share it with me. Either way, I’m grateful.

And as always, I’m grateful you’re even reading this and spending time with me today so thank you!

My very best,
Jim

SPEAKING OF HEREOS
As I shared in last week’s newsletter I get to be with my dad next weekend and live out my dream of doing absolutely nothing with him all day long except ask him anything and everything I can think of about his life. I’m sooooo excited.