Newsletter Archives
Dec 25, 2025 — A Christmas Classic That Almost Wasn’t
Some of the most enduring gifts begin when someone chooses to believe—before anyone else does. A reflection on courage, presence, and remembering what matters.
Take Two
For people who know there’s more to life and don’t want to miss it.
A CHRISTMAS CLASSIC THAT ALMOST WASN’T
In 1843, Charles Dickens found himself at a crossroads. Though he was already a successful author, his latest idea—a short Christmas story centered on generosity, redemption, and human kindness—failed to excite his publisher.
Dickens believed deeply in his vision for the book. He wanted to produce something beautiful, with high-quality paper, gilded edges, and colored illustrations. These choices raised costs and convinced his publisher the project was too risky.
Dickens believed otherwise.
So he did something uncommon—almost reckless by the standards of his time. He paid for the book himself. He covered the printing, the illustrations, the binding—every detail—because the story mattered to him. A Christmas Carol was released just days before Christmas and sold out almost immediately.
The story went on to shape how generations think about Christmas, compassion, and second chances. It has become the quintessential Christmas classic.
As this year comes to a close, maybe you felt supported and encouraged. If so, be grateful and celebrate. And if you didn’t—if encouragement was scarce and reassurance never arrived—remember this:
You don’t need approval to begin.
You don’t need perfect conditions to take the next step.
You only need the courage to move forward.
Maybe this is your season to bet on yourself.
To brave standing alone.
To bring your ideas into the world, even imperfectly.
After all, some of the most enduring endeavors begin the same way A Christmas Carol did: with one person choosing to believe before anyone else does.
THE GIFT THAT CAN'T BE WRAPPED
Most of the gifts we give this week will be unwrapped, admired, and eventually forgotten.
But one gift never goes out of style: your full attention.
Not the half-listening kind while your phone buzzes nearby. Not the distracted nod while your mind drifts to what’s next. The kind of attention that says, I’m here with you—and nowhere else.
It’s the choice to put your phone down.
To listen without planning your reply.
To sit with someone you love and be fully present—not distracted, not rushed.
Attention is rare. And because it’s rare, it’s valuable. In a world competing relentlessly for our focus, presence has become a quiet form of generosity.
Years from now, people won’t remember every gift they opened. But they will remember how they felt in your presence—whether they felt seen, heard, and valued.
This season, give what can’t be bought, wrapped, or returned.
Give the gift of being fully present.
A TREE FULL OF STORIES
I love Christmas—the lights, the music, time with family. One of my favorite parts of the season is decorating the tree.
Our tree isn’t coordinated or themed. It’s layered with memories.
Each ornament marks a place we’ve been, an experience we’ve shared, or someone we love. There are reminders of national parks we’ve wandered—Denali, Joshua Tree, and Zion. There are ornaments from our annual Delaney Family Adventures—Whistler, Costa Rica, and Ireland. And there are mementos from cities whose streets we’ve walked and stories we’ve brushed up against—Edinburgh, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Florence.
Each ornament is small. But together, they tell the story of the lives we are living.
I’ve come to believe that milestones and markers matter. They remind us not just where we’ve been, but who we were becoming along the way. Life moves fast, and without reminders, even the best moments can fade into the blur of time.
Life, after all, is a collection of experiences. And once collected, it’s a gift to return to them—to reminisce, to remember, to feel gratitude for the journey.
My hope for you this holiday season is that it’s filled with moments worth remembering. Take a photo. Save a token. Frame the memory for next year’s tree.
May your Christmas tree become a yearly reminder—not just of the season—but of the beautiful journey your life has been, and continues to be.
BEFORE YOU GO
Christmas is a sacred time for many—myself included. It’s a celebration rooted in the belief that God loved us so deeply that He chose to enter the world as a baby, so that we might know Him.
And whether or not you celebrate Christmas, I hope you have sacred days of your own—moments that invite you to pause, reflect, and remember the beauty and gift of life.
As the year comes to a close, may your final days of 2025 be merry and bright.
Stay inspired by the life you’re living,
Kevin
Dec 18, 2025 — Looking Back to Live Better
As the year comes to a close, reflection helps us turn experience into wisdom. In this issue, I explore the value of looking back—on our days, our moments, and the people who shaped them—and share a few reminders found on the streets of New York about beginning again, embracing pressure, and clearing the dust to see what matters most.
Take Two
For people who know there’s more to life and don’t want to miss it.
WORDS TO WONDER
"We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience."
— John Dewey, philosopher and psychologist
"We don't remember days; we remember moments."
— Cesare Pavese, poet and novelist
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."
— Annie Dillard, poet and author
PERSPECTIVES TO PONDER
As the year comes to a close, I find it invaluable to pause and reflect on all that has filled it. Reflection has a way of quieting the noise and revealing what truly mattered—and what didn’t.
Looking back helps me notice patterns: whether I’ve been paying attention to what’s good or fixating on what’s wrong; whether I’ve lived reactively or intentionally; whether my days reflect the life I hope to be living. As Annie Dillard reminds us, our lives are simply the sum of our days—and how we choose to spend them matters.
One simple exercise I return to each year is this: set aside 20 or 30 quiet minutes and reflect on your favorite moments—and your least favorite ones. Naming them brings clarity. It becomes easier to schedule more of what energized you and to gently avoid what drained you in the year ahead.
Take time to reflect on the people you spent the most time with. Did those interactions leave you feeling encouraged or depleted? Did certain relationships bring out your best—or your worst? Awareness creates choice. And choice creates change.
As Cesare Pavese observed, we don’t remember days—we remember moments. What were your defining moments of 2025? The places you went. The experiences that stretched you. The challenges that taught you something important. Reflection turns experience into wisdom—and wisdom helps us move forward with greater intention and meaning.
Some people quickly jot down a list of New Year’s resolutions on January 1. Others skip reflection altogether. I prefer a slower approach. I take the entire month of January to reflect, reimagine, and review the systems and goals in my life—asking whether they truly support the way I want to live.
Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Reflection doesn’t have to be heavy or burdensome. Think of it as an invitation to relive the moments that made you smile, grow, and feel alive.
One of my favorite ways to begin is simple: scroll back to January in your photo reel and move forward, moment by moment. It’s a powerful reminder of just how much life you lived this year—and a beautiful way to appreciate it all.
I hope reflecting on 2025 brings gratitude for the moments that mattered—and clarity for how you want to live in the year ahead.
THREE REMINDERS FROM THE STREETS OF NYC
When I travel, I try to slow down enough to notice the details—the things you’d miss if you were rushing from one destination to the next. While walking through New York this week, three images caught my eye. Each felt like a reminder worth carrying home.
1. You Can Begin Again
“New York is the end of your past and place of rebirth.”
Many people come to New York to leave something behind and start over. A past version of themselves. A chapter that no longer fits.
The good news? You don’t have to move to New York to do that.
Any day can be a reset. Any moment can be a turning point. Starting fresh isn’t about geography—it’s about choice. We can all leave the past where it belongs and begin again, if we’re willing to decide that today is different.
2. Pressure Is a Privilege
Pressure only exists when something matters.
If no one expects anything of you, if nothing important is at stake, if no one is depending on you—there’s no pressure. But there’s also very little meaning.
Pressure can be uncomfortable, even heavy at times. But it’s also a reminder that you’re in the arena—engaged, responsible, alive—rather than standing safely on the sidelines. The weight you feel is often the cost of doing something that matters.
3. Wash the Dust Away
“Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life.”
Life gets messy. Repetition dulls our senses. Routines pile up, and before we know it, the wonder is covered in dust.
Sometimes we need to pause and clear it away.
For some, that might be music. For others, a deep conversation, time in nature, prayer, movement, or quiet solitude. Whatever does it for you, take a few moments to wash the dust away—so you can see clearly again the extraordinary things that are already happening all around you.
BEFORE YOU GO
I’ve spent a lot of time in New York. Vicky and I were married in Central Park, and we return every year.
This time, we arrived in fresh snow and 20-degree weather. That single change—snow—made everything feel different. Of all my years visiting New York, this one stood apart. Central Park—so familiar to us—had been transformed into a winter wonderland.
It was a simple but powerful reminder: sometimes one change can transform everything.
As you look ahead to 2026, consider one action—one habit, one decision, one shift in focus—that could quietly change the trajectory of your life. You don’t have to overhaul everything. You don’t need a long list of resolutions.
Sometimes, one intentional change is enough.
Stay inspired by the life you’re living,
Kevin