When I was 19 years old, both of my parents died in the same year; my mom of cancer and my dad in a car accident. Through the next two or three years and a series of bad decisions - all my own, I might add - I ended up literally homeless, before that was even a word. I even slept occasionally under a pier on the Gulf Coast.

Everything you do matters to all of us forever.

Of course it does, Jomes answered earnestly. Many of life's treasures remain hidden from us simply because we never search for them. Often we do not ask the proper questions that might lead us to the answer to all our challenges. We are so caught up in fear and regret, that hope seems a foolish endeavor. Proof of hope, however, is not only possible, it is an overlooked law of the universe.

Those who are critical of my goals and dreams simply do not understand the higher purpose to which I have been called.

Ask yourself this question everyday: What is it about me that other people would change if they could?

Remember, the goal is not to raise great kids; it's to raise kids who become great adults.

Much of your success in life is determined by how you choose to act in spite of how you feel.