Month: July 2026

Walt Disney World likes to call itself The Happiest Place on Earth. For them, it’s just a marketing slogan, but what does it mean to you? What is the happiest place on earth for you? Where do you feel the most peace, the most joy, the most comfort?

Hopefully it’s some place where you are surrounded by family and friends. Most of us are happiest when we are giving love and receiving it in return. You can rent happiness for a while with exciting trips to places like Disney World, or buying extravagant gifts, or attending big events. But the joy is always temporary, and will only leave you wanting more.

Being a good husband, wife, parent, grandparent or friend will make you the happiest place on earth to other people. And that’s a ride you will never want to get off of.

Ever wonder why movie sequels are never as good as the original? It’s probably because the original caught lightning in a bottle, touched just the right tone, told just the right story at just the right time. It captured your interest because it was something you had never quite seen before. Sequels are an attempt to copy the magic. But once you’ve seen how the magic is done, it’s not as magical.

You are the original you. Don’t waste your time trying to be the sequel to somebody else. Your true friends will love you just the way you are. Treat people honestly and be genuine without pretense.

You will be the movie everyone wants to come to see over and over again.

As I write this I am looking out the window of my home office. My neighbor across the street is flying an American flag on his front stoop. I’m so thankful for people who are still proud of our country, and proud of what that flag stands for. Freedom, justice, equal rights for all. One nation, under God.

That message gets cloudy these days. Politics gets in the way. There is pressure on Americans to take a side. We’re all fighting to keep our country great. We just have different ideas about what that looks like.

No doubt we have our conflicts, but I’m still happy to be here. I’m guessing folks in North Korea or Iran or Russia don’t feel that way. There’s a reason thousands want to cross borders into our land. They see what we have. They long for it. They appreciate it.

I hope we do too.