“Your passion must come from the things that fuel you from the inside.”

Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture

As I sit here on the eve of the last day I ever spent with my Dad alive, to say I am in a space of reflection is an understatement. Everyday for the last 5 weeks, I have replayed every moment. If you have lost a loved one, I know you can totally relate.

From the rainy Monday morning in early last November when I first got the call, to the long drive to the hospital that morning, the three week vigil at his bedside praying that he would wake up, to these last two weeks, when he was awake, and we were promised he would be home by Christmas.

It was Thursday, December 8th 2011, the last day I spent with him, just he and I. I brought him an Americano from Starbucks, we talked, watched a movie (As Good As It Gets), did his physical therapy together, I gave him a manicure, we played Skee-Ball on my iPad, and even wrote a love note to each other on it, this is the note.

I had no idea, as we never do, that four days later, I would get a call, on another rainy Monday morning, telling me it was time to say goodbye.

The Last Lecture is one of my favorite books. The year it came out I read it and gave it to everyone on my list. This book and video helped me realize that we have a choice of what we do with our limited time on this planet.

If you have not seen the video, or read the book, I really recommend you do. While it’s a tearjerker, they are also filled with inspiration and are well worth the tears.

In this first video, Randy speaks about passion. I just love his simple yet profound wisdom. Here are some of his wise words.

• Find your passion and follow it.

• Don’t give up on finding your passion.

• You will not find it in things or money.

• Passion must come from what fuels you from the inside.

• Passion is grounded in people and the relationships you have with people.

Be sure to set aside some time and check out The Last Lecture. It’s worth it, and may just be the spark you need to help move you towards living the life of your dreams, with no regrets.

Lastly, while it may sound cliche, be sure the people in your life know how much you love them. Pick up the phone and call them. You just never know when it will be your last opportunity to do so.

(shared with LOVE and dedicated to my Dad, from your passionista Nina)