Vision. Mission. Passion. Intention. Dream.

I believe something bigger than you has to drive your work. It doesn’t have to be so big that you feel crushed under its weight and the towering job of making it happen in this one precious lifetime.

But it does have to be something bigger than you.

Maybe it’s Nature. She’s big.

Or maybe it’s family. That’s big too.

Maybe it’s creativity. Creating for creativity’s sake is pretty big. A love of lyric. A devotion to dance. An adoration of art.

Possibly it’s plumbing the human psyche. An evolution of mind. An elevation of spirit.

Perhaps it’s connecting communities. Collaboration. Inspiration. Celebration.

At some point in your work or play, something tugs at the strings of your heart, like a kitten pawing yarn.

Something teases those strings from you and you take notice. You pull back. It pulls harder. You pull back again. It takes them in its mouth and runs.

And now you’re chasing it. It’s elusive: peeking out from around a corner, under the couch…

Ah ha! You grab hold and tug-of-war ensues but this time you have a good grasp. You are awake and alert and engaged.

And you know that everything you do from this moment on is tied up with that string.

I have a mission.

To plant a million trees. And feed a million kids.

It seems like a lot for one person, but that’s just it… it’s not one person. I may initiate it, but it’s you who helps make this dream a reality.

The million trees was a no-brainer. That cat was easy to catch. And I’ll work diligently and happily, planting a tree for each of the Anna and the Earth Angel books sold, and the following books in the series. Even if it takes a lifetime.

The million kids I haven’t quite caught. I see it. I’ve got it cornered. But it’s not quite ready to give up its end to me.

What I do know is that I have a heart-felt desire for every child to wake each morning to a warm greeting and a warmer belly. Every child should have nourishment: in the form of love and the form of food. Every child deserves a nourishing start to their day. I have some ideas. Some plans to lure this kitty out of hiding. A saucer of milk may just do the trick. I’ll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, thank you for helping plant a million trees.

Nurturing a love of nature through story.