My wife once said if my arms were long enough I would stretch them around the world. She said this endearingly, but also as a way to poke fun at how I tend to think galactically by grasping beyond my reach.
When I began the Why Mom Deserves a Diamond contest I invited a small handful of local schools to participate. When I saw how dozens of families came closer together, I invited more and more schools. By the tenth year of the contest, over 24,000 kids were writing letters of love for their mothers.
We continued to stretch our arms.
I learned that to have a positive effect in our world, we must act with love but also in abundance. Although I admire those who plant trees in place of ones chopped down, I now understand to have a measurable effect one must plant a forest. If one desires to transform the hearts of others, he or she cannot just send a single thank you card, but thousands. How much bright yellow paint does it take to brighten a bucket of black paint? How many candles does it take to illuminate a dark cave? Can we ever do enough?
We must praise our children ten times more than scolding them. We must encourage our friends ten times more than criticizing them.
If we desire a legacy to create a better world, we must think beyond our physical limitations. When we know we have been loved we can accomplish anything, including reaching outward and hugging the entire world.