Jokes.

What's your favorite joke? I wish I could always tell you funny stories and anecdotes and make you laugh and cheer you up when you are sad.

I'm sorry though, I don't know any jokes.

Wanderlust.

What happened to that list of places you wanted to travel to? Where did your sense of wanderlust go? Let's just go. Let's leave tomorrow.

A story about friendship.

Once upon a time, everyone was friends with everyone else. And no one fought. There were no arguments, no fights. There wasn't any hate between people. Everyone got along, and they held hands and sang songs and told each other stories.

But one day everything changed. A shadow came over the land, and darkness filled the hearts of the people. People started keeping secrets, fighting with each other, and people stopped being friends with everyone.

Now people aren't friends with everyone. There are fights and arguments, people betray and hurt others. Friendships die. And because this isn't a fairy tale, but real life, that's the way things will stay until people decide to live differently than they are.

Explore.

Let's go exploring!

My plan for today.

Let's go play on the swings. And if it rains, let's go dance in the storm.

Bicycles and lemonade stands.

Let's ride bicycles through town and get lemonade at the stand at the corner. Let's sit on the sidewalk and guess at the stories of the people who pass by. Let's make today last forever.

We make this world.

We make this world. Yes, we do, all of us. You and me, and all of our friends. So let's make it better.

Which path?

Who do you turn to when you need advice? What helps you decide on a direction? Have you ever felt completely torn, with a whole array of possible paths before you?

Thoughts of summer.

What makes you think of summer? For me, it's music and peppers and thunderstorms and swing sets and dandelions. It's bonfires and peaches and blue skies and bird songs. It's porch swings and friends and laughter and stories.

The parts to remember.

Remember the best parts. Forget about the parts that hurt.

Let's go.

If I wanted to leave today, would you leave with me?

Imaginaryland

Let's just run away and live in Imaginaryland.

Music in the streets.

Let's make music in the streets.

I wish we were with us.

I wish we were with us, together, in the same place. But let's not waste time wishing that. Let's just remember the times that we were.

Don't worry about the letting go.

Don't waste time worrying about what you'll have to let go. Just be happy for what you have, while you have it.

Spontaneous adventure.

I hope one day you have the opportunity to go off on a spontaneous adventure. Don't hesitate. Don't look back.

Sunrise.

Let's go outside and stay up talking until sunrise.

The anger.

It's scary when people get angry. So I hope no one ever gets angry with you.

The greed monster.

Once upon a time there were houses for everyone. And no one was ever too cold, and no one ever froze to death in the streets. There were houses for everyone. And there was no one left out, and there was plenty of food. And everyone shared. Everyone had a place to call home.

And then one day a monster started eating all the houses and the food and even some of the people. The monster wanted everything for himself. And the people in this land had to fight, and they killed the monster. But the monster's spirit lived on and it lived inside of the spirits of the people. And people didn't want to share anymore. People didn't want everyone to be taken care of. People wanted more for themselves, and more than anyone else had, and they didn't want to share.

And the spirit of that monster lives inside of most people these days. Try to fight the greed monster. And maybe one day, everyone will be warm and safe again.

The movies.

I hope that if you go to the movies, even if it's an awful movie, you're with awesome friends.

Candlelight and music.

And we lit candles and listened to music on vinyl and all was well in the world.

Coconuts.

Remember Coconut Night?

Safe place with no bad dreams.

I hope you always have a safe place to sleep at night. And I hope you never have bad dreams.

The worry.

I hope no one has to worry about you.

A game of chess and souls.

Once upon a time there was a traveler who met a man in black a little off the crossroads, under a tree. And the weary traveler asked the man if he might sit by him in the shade beneath the tree.

The man said, "Of course. Have a seat. Rest." And the weary traveler sat down under the tree. The man in black said, "Tell me, traveler, what is it you want most in this world?"

"I want a home, a place to stay and rest forever," said the weary traveler. "Ask a man in the desert what he wants, he'll say water. Ask a prisoner, he'll say freedom. Ask a traveler, and he will say permanence and home."

"Tell you what," said the man in black, and he pulled out a chess board from a satchel. "Let's play a game of chess. And if you win, all that you dream of will come true."

"And if I lose?" asked the weary traveler.

The man in black smiled and his eyes seemed to grow darker. "Then you lose your soul."

There are monsters.

I wish I could be there to tell you that there are no monsters, that you're safe, and all the doors are locked, and that nothing bad will ever happen again.

But I realize, even if I was there, I couldn't tell you there are no monsters. Because there are. And I can't say you're safe, when you might not be. And I can't tell you that nothing bad will ever happen again, because we both know that isn't true.

Over.

One day, one day this will all be over. This will be a part of the past, just something that happened that is over now. So don't worry. It won't be forever. It will not be forever.

Sing.

Sing me a song.

Yesterday, a thousand years ago.

I can't believe it's already today. I can't believe time has flown by so fast. It seems like we met yesterday. It seems like we met a thousand years ago.

Butterfly wishes.

We saw a butterfly soaring over us and flying around us. I told you, "Make a wish." What did you wish for?

The rocks.

And we climbed up the rocks by the falls and listened to the sound of the rushing water. And all was well in the world.

Please, believe this.

You are not worthless.

The storytime.

I want to remember that moment forever. We lit candles and we sat around in a circle and we stayed up into the morning telling each other stories. I want to remember the sounds of your voices.

Climb.

Let's climb mountains.

The deserve.

You deserve a wonderful life.

The music that night.

Remember the music we listened to that night? And how every song seemed to fit perfectly?

Let's go fly a kite.

I want to fly kites with you.

The world of butterflies.

We stayed up talking that night talking about the world we could make. It would be warm and safe and only wonderful things would ever happen. We would live in rainbow trees. No one would ever be hungry or cold. There would be water for everyone and no more wars.

It will only ever rain the kind of rain you can dance in. There will only ever be snow that's fun to play in. And it will vanish the moment you need it to be sunflower warm.

"And whenever anyone tries to hurt someone else, they'll just vanish in a magic moment and turn into a butterfly," I added.

"A butterfly?"

"Yes," I said. "Butterflies don't hurt anyone. They will fly away and be enchanting and live with flowers."

"Yes," she said, and thought for a minute. We were quiet. And then she sighed and she shook her head and she said, "It would be a world of butterflies."

There for you.

I wish I was there to hold your hand through this.

That's all.

Be safe.

The beauty and the hurt.

The truth is, sometimes nothing is beautiful and everything hurts. But the truth is also that these moments will pass. It's just hard to live through them.

The truth is, there is no place where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.

But there are moments where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. And those are the moments we hold onto. Those are the moments we live for.

Have a cup of cheer.

Do your friends cheer you up when you ask them to?

Sometimes I need cheering up. So I ask my friends to tell me jokes or funny anecdotes or stories. And mostly, they'll always tell me something that makes me smile. I hope you have that in your life.

Have a cup of cheer.

The allergies.

You know what? I hope you never have to experience allergies. It really is very unpleasant. I'd rather have the flu, because at least that doesn't last for months on end.

So yes, I hope you're fortunate enough to never experience allergies.

The strong.

I know you're strong. I just wish you didn't have to be so strong all the time. I wish you didn't have all these obstacles and challenges and disasters in your life that make you have to always stay so strong.

I wish I could take all of that away, and that the rest of your life would be easy.

The secrets.

Sometimes it's really difficult to say I do not want to talk about it.

I hope you're strong enough to say it when you need to.

I'm glad you're here.

I hope you have someone in your life who tells you, "I'm glad you were born. I'm glad you're in the world. I'm glad to know you."

I'm glad you're here.

The worst of times.

Some things that are broken can't be mended. And it hurts. Sometimes goodbyes are forever. Sometimes houses burn to the ground and nothing is left but ashes. Sometimes storms come and they can't be weathered, and everything is gone. Sometimes there's nowhere to turn, and no one who cares.

I hope you hold onto hope, even in the worst of times. I love you.

I think of you.

I think of you when I hear stories being read aloud.

I think of you when I see someone laughing. And someone crying.

I think of you when I see bicycles. I think of you when I see kites flying.

I think of you when I see libraries. And bookstores.

I think of you when I hear certain songs.

I think of you when I'm happy. I think of you when I'm sad.

I think of you a lot.

Disney songs.

Remember when we sang Disney songs at the top of our lungs when we went hiking? Yeah, me too. That was a good day.

Give away books.

Never lend books. Give them away. Share the love.

The keys.

I hope you don't lose your keys. I hate when that happens. I love you!

Everyone has a story.

Think about how many people you interact with on a daily basis. Every single one of them is a real, live person, with hopes and fears, with dreams, and with secrets. Even when people seem to be mean or angry, and you just want to throw a custard pie in their face, remember that they might just be having a terrible day.

You never know what's going on in someone's life.

Remember, everyone has a story.

For someone you love.

Today's letter is a quote from a book called Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

I hope one day you have the experience of doing something you don't understand for someone you love.

Because I hope that for you.

Toothpaste.

I hope you never have to steal toothpaste. Or food, or shoes, or anything. I hope you always have the things you need.

I love you.

The three words.

I believe you.

Live lightly.

Learn to laugh at yourself. Especially when you feel the least like laughing.

An hour late and a dollar short.

Sometimes it will seem like you're always coming up an hour late and a dollar short. Those moments will pass. Hold onto the times that matter. And never lose hope.

To not get hurt.

To try to not get hurt is to try to not live.

The different.

I'd rather be different.

Better than a letter.

I'm sending you a hug today, instead of a letter.

You're my home.

I was trying to write a letter to you telling you how much you meant to me. I couldn't find the right words. I tried again, and this is what I wrote:

There are books I've read because you read them. There are songs I love because you listen to them. There are places I want to visit because you've been there.

I feel safe when you're singing. I feel happy when you're holding my hand. I miss you.

You're the one I think of when I think, "I want to go home."

I'm so glad we met.

Thank you for choosing to be here, in this place at the same time that I chose to be here in this place. It startles me how easily we could have missed each other. I'm so glad we met.

My life is very different because you're in it.

I think you're amazing.

I know that all that I say to you has probably been said better by someone else. But I want you to know that I think you're amazing and I'm glad to have been lucky enough to be part of your story.

I will never forget you. Stay wonderful.

The challenges.

Challenge yourself. Accept tasks you know you'll have to work hard to accomplish. Look at things in new ways.

Try to get to know people you don't think you'll get along with; and try to become friends with them.

Learn about something you're scared of, or something that makes you uncomfortable. Learn as much as you can about the perspective that you believe is wrong.

Challenge yourself; don't sit comfortably back in your cozy life with cozy values and cozy songs. Listen to music genres that you don't like. Try new foods. Go somewhere you're scared of going.

See how much you'll learn and grow. Challenges make life fun and fascinating.

I hope your life is fantastic.

And so, to everyone I interact with, every day, I tell them, with sincerity in my voice, "I hope that your day is spectacular." And I mean everyone. The person who rings up my groceries, the customer service representative, the bus driver, the postal worker, the librarian. I thank them, and tell them that I hope, truly hope, that their day is wonderful. Because I really do hope for that.

I hope your life is spectacular.

The music we can make.

Let's make music that dances.

Connect the stars.

I name my own constellations. Why remember someone else's interpretation of the stars, when you can make your own?

My favorite is the Crooked Smile constellation.

There are no lines.

Color outside the lines.

See the unicorns.

We picked up sticks we found in the woods and pretended they were magic wands. We were sorcerers, battling our way across treacherous bridges, past trolls and dragons and all sorts of fearsome beasts and monsters.

And to grown-ups who might've seen us, we were just a few kids running around the grass and through the trees.

To a grown-up, the world is a place where there are no unicorns. A tree is a tree, a house is a house.

To a child, the world is infinite opportunities. A tree could be alive, with fairies living in it, or the portal to another land. A house could be a castle, or a starship, or anything at all. And of course there are unicorns.

See the unicorns in the world. And never stop seeing, never stop make-believing.

New and wonderful.

Don't let fear keep you from learning something new and wonderful.

The soul friends.

The word means "soul friend." It's deeper than friendship. But forget the Hollywood "soulmate," "true love" garbage. No, this is a "soul friend."

A friend with whom you share your soul.

Do you have any friends like that?

The mermaid and the princess.

Once upon a time there was a mermaid who wanted to walk on two legs into the world. And so she did, and she lived with a human princess who gave her a home and holidays and loved her very much.

But the mermaid didn't want to be merely human. She wanted to return to her home in the sea, she wanted to be a mermaid again. No love was worth giving up her home.

But the human princess loved the mermaid so much, that it broke her heart when she found the note the mermaid had left. So the human princess found a sorcerer who turned her into a mermaid too. And she followed her beloved mermaid into the sea.

And they lived happily ever after.

The wishes we make.

Wish on everything. Wish on stars, and butterflies. Wish on snowflakes and falling autumn leaves. The first buds of spring, the first summer storm. Wish on lightning, wish on candles.

Make a wish.

Without words.

We found each other's eyes and smiled, remembering, together, without words.

The right words.

I wish we would always have the right words to say. I wish our fears and insecurities would stop getting in the way.

The prince and the lonely giant.

There once was an ugly giant was very lonely. He had avoided being around people for a long time, because people were afraid of things they didn't understand. They were afraid because the giant was so hideous in appearance, and looked so different from them. So people would, at best, make fun of him, and at worst, they would try to kill him.

So the giant lived on top of a mountain, all alone. He loved to make music. He played the piano and the cello. And he loved to read books. He also grew a garden and learned many delicious recipes.

A prince who wanted to be a hero, had heard that a vicious, murderous giant lived on that mountain. And he climbed the mountain to confront the beast. But instead of a fearsome, violent monster, he found an unfortunate-looking giant making the most enchanting music on a cello.

The prince saw that the ugly giant had a beautiful soul. And the prince and the giant became friends, and then best friends. And then they fell in love with each other and lived happily ever after.

Take a minute.

Take this time to smile. Take a minute to remember what makes it all worth it. Dance, breathe, laugh, run, hug.

The people who don't leave.

There are people who come into your life and never leave. You may never see them again, you might not even know their name. Or maybe you know their name, and their secrets, and their story, but you might not always be with them, or be able to see them again.

They might go away, or you might go away. But the people are still with you. The things they've said will remain; you'll still carry their voices. You'll have their smiles, and the remnant of a hug. These people do not leave.

They are still with you, and always will be.

The tomorrow.

It's ok. Tomorrow will still be here. The sun will rise and set. This is not the end of all things. Just breathe.

The bittersweet.

Let me hold your hand again. Let me hug you one last time. I want to remember this. I want to remember your face, and the shape of your hand. I want to remember the fabric of your clothes, and the way your hair falls. I want to remember every color in your eyes, and I want to remember the sound of your voice.

I don't want to go.

Home is right here.

"I want to go home."

What does that mean? Home. Is it a house, a physical building, of wood and plaster? Is it a place, a town, a geographical location with a longitude and latitude? Is it the people there, is it family?

Is it a season? Is it a sound, a smell, a type of tree? Is it certain types of food? Is it a particular song, or a type of music?

Home. Home is the places I feel safe. Home is the people I love. Home is you, but not just being with you. I'll take you with me wherever I go.

Home is right here, with me, always.

Turn the page.

To be born again, first you have to die.

Our time here is ending. It's over. And all that means is that there's a new beginning just waiting to happen. A fresh start, new adventures. New places to go, new friends to make, new worlds to save.

We're not closing the whole book; we're just turning this page.

All that matters.

Life is beautiful. You have more than you realize. You are luckier than you can ever understand. Give love, give, give, give. In the end, all that matters is the good impacts you've made. That's all. So forget yourself. Help others. Reach out. Make the world a better place while you're in it.

Listen: I miss you.

"I miss you," I keep saying. And even though you hear me say that, you are not listening.

I'm saying that I love you. I'm saying that I miss the way things were. I miss the beginning, I miss the middle parts. And I'm afraid of the end.

The falling.

It is ok to fall. You just have to remember to get back up.

You'll be right here.

I wondered where you went. And then I realized you were right where you said you'd be; right here, inside my heart.

The three trees.

Once, you told me, there were three trees. And one tree grew tall, tall, tall to the sky. It was far away from the other two trees, making friends with clouds. And one tree grew big around, stretching and taking up so much space that it would take a whole year to walk all the way around it.

The other tree grew to an average height, just tall enough to see far and wide, andit was an average length around, just wide enough around to be huggable, and had an average amount of limbs; just enough limbs to make it wonderful to climb. It wasn't taller or stronger or bigger than the others. It was an average tree, but it was the best tree.

You said: "Sometimes, just average, is more than enough. Sometimes 'just average' is perfect."

The flight.

And sometimes she just wanted to fly away into that blue forever.

...and sometimes, she wanted to stay in her tree.

The ephemeral.

Nothing is permanent. We only have the illusion of permanence. That's why it's so important to hold onto who we have in our lives, for as long as we have them.

The promises no one can make.

I wish I could tell you that you're safe now, that nothing bad will ever happen to you ever again. I wish I could promise that to you.

But I don't know that for certain. No one does. But, I really hope you're safe now. And I really hope that nothing bad will ever happen to you again.

Stay strong.

Hold on.

Hold on. Please, please hold on. You are so much more than all of these things. You are so much more than this. I know it hurts, but please, hold on.

There are too many goodbyes.

I wish we had more time. I wish we'd met a thousand years ago. But sometimes I wish we hadn't met at all.

What I'm trying to say is, I'm glad to have known you, but I hate that I have to let you go. There are too many goodbyes.

What I'm trying to say is, I'm going to miss you.

The sweet life.

Life is short, make it sweet.

The hundred lifetimes.

If I had a hundred lifetimes, I'd want to spend all of them with you.

The books that connect us.

Whenever I buy a used book, it makes me wonder. Who read this before me? How many people read this? Did the owner of this book let other people borrow it? What did they think about it? Did it reflect their lives in any way?

And then I wonder who else in my life may have read this, and how old they were, and how it impacted their life. We take away pieces of the things we read, and I wonder, for the people in my life, what those pieces are.

I want to know. Books connect us to each other.

The stories.

I hope you have people in your life who will tell you stories when you ask for them.

The success.

I hope you are met with success in all your endeavors.

The Sandman.

I hope the Sandman is kind to you. May your dreams be happy.

The safety mechanism.

We are so much more than all of our fears. But sometimes the fear keeps us safe, keeps us from making decisions that would hurt us. So I suppose, in this place, in this time, fear is the best safety mechanism we've got.

Think of some place or time.

I want to remember that day by the stream, on those rocks. I told you about my nightmares.

You told me, "Close your eyes." I closed my eyes. You told me, "Just listen." I heard the water rushing over the rocks, I heard peace. I heard the wind in the trees and the constant sound of the water. The sound of nothing bad ever happening.

I opened my eyes and you smiled and told me, "Think of that whenever you wake up from your nightmares."

I hope you never have bad dreams. I hope that whenever you wake up alone and afraid with no one there to comfort you, that you have a memory of a place or a time where you felt safe. And I hope then, that you aren't scared anymore.

Sweet dreams.