Steve Brunkhorst

The car phone rang just as I was stopping on my way home to pick up my daughter from her after-school basketball practice.

"I know this is short notice, but could you please give Tina a lift home from practice tonight?!"

The voice on the phone sounded more than a little frantic, a feeling I know well. "Sure, no problem," I replied. "I just pulled up to the school."

The story is told of a little girl named Liz who suffered from a serious disease. Her best chance of recovery would be to receive a blood transfusion from her five-year old brother.

The doctor explained the situation to Liz's little brother. He asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

The young boy hesitated for a brief moment. Then he took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liz."

During the transfusion, the boy lay in the bed next to his sister. He smiled when he saw color returning to her cheeks. But then his smile started to fade, and his face grew pale.

With a trembling voice, he looked up at the doctor and asked, "Will I start to die now already?"

The little boy had misunderstood the doctor's explanation. He thought that he would need to give all of his blood to save his sister...and he would have done so.

It was a bitter cold evening in northern Virginia. The old man's beard was glazed by winter's frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid north wind.

Anxiously, he watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first few pass by without trying to get their attention. Finally the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue.

Passion is a calling of the heart -- an inner intensity that brings emotion to life. It enhances performance and makes us feel enthusiastic about the things we want to accomplish. Our passions make us feel energetic and self-confident.

"Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it," said Anne de Lenclos.