My Journey
A Gift from a Golden Rock
I was washing dishes, looking at a small, gold-colored rock on the window ledge. The rock gave me a poem, I grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote it down. Part of that poem is displayed on the bookmark shown here. I saw that poem as a pure gift—and I still do.
Lessons from the Farm
Growing up on a dairy farm, I carried a lot of responsibility for a child. Feeding calves, grinding feed, and cleaning barns taught me the value of hard work and a love for the outdoors. To get through my daily chores, I learned to ask myself a vital question: "What am I dealing with?" This question helped me to be organized and ready to do the job.
My mother also had a favorite expression, "Watch what you're doing." To me, that wasn't just a correction—it was an invitation to become an observer of life. I have applied these two questions for over forty years. They led me to be an observer of life and were fundamental to my search for understanding of human nature, character development, and the pursuit of meaning.
Years later, as I was wheeled into my room after major surgery, I had a vision of a book cover. It read: "To: Gunnar, From: GiGi," like a Christmas gift tag.
I knew this book needed to be about building a strong foundation for life through the virtues. I began writing it as a personal letter to my great-grandson, Gunnar, to help him apply these qualities to daily life. After finishing the letter, I realized it had become the basis for my book, A Guide for Teenagers: Achieving Success in Life.
I had been designing simple products for teenagers and putting the poems into marketable forms. These items are simple, practical visual tools. They are reminders to pause in daily life, look at your situation, and ask: "What virtue does this moment call for?" I hope you find a product that provides the motivation and insight to apply virtues in your daily life. Virtues are on the road to happiness and fulfillment.
There is another way.
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Clarity
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Choice
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Character
