Deep thoughts (in deep snow)

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What could be nicer than telling a loved one you are thinking of them — especially when that person is in the hospital?

Here's one: Sending a message that would be seen by every patient at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center — and many more around the world.

That's what happened two weeks ago in Chicago with a photo that has gone viral.

The message started as "HI MOM" (with a smiley face inside the O) stomped out in the deep snow atop a rooftop garage facing the hospital. It was done by 14-year-old William Hart, who wanted to cheer up his mother, Sharon, who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for acute myeloid leukemia.

William later went back to the rooftop with his father and uncle to add "GOD BLESS U!"

Sharon was thrilled — and so were all of the other patients and families who were drawn to their windows to read the message of hope and love. This is what she told The Chicago Tribune:

“My son has never done anything like this before. He is a very caring child and very loving. ... He acted on instinct and from what was in his heart. I’m glad so many people got to see the message and that it touched so many. It shows how big God is.”

The simplest things often make the biggest impact.

 

Learning from Steve Jobs, 2 years on

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Is legacy better measured by tangible accomplishment or lasting influence?

It's been two years since Steve Jobs passed away. He left us with both.

The commencement speech that Jobs delivered at Stanford University on June 12, 2005, remains one of the most inspiring speeches I can recall. It was short, personal, witty, funny and, beyond all, poignant. It was life advice, for "students" of all ages, wrapped in alluring storytelling.

Steve Jobs continues to inspire. It's worth re-listening to this speech once a year.

 

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself -- at the university's 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005.