If you’re a parent, the litany of wishes for your children is never far from your mind. Let them be healthy. Let them be happy. Let them be safe.
It changes as they get older, of course. Let them pass Algebra. Let them push ‘delete’ more often than ‘post.’ Let them be safe. It persists even into adulthood. Let them get a job. Let them read the fine print on the lease. Let them be safe.
But there’s one wish for mine that keeps popping up, working its way to the top of my list. Let them find their passion. Be it a career or a cause, let them find something that fills them with passion and purpose. Let them be engaged, enthused and encouraged. Let them care deeply, act with commitment and be rewarded with the personal satisfaction that what they did mattered.
Of course, we all know passion matters. The world is full of inspirational quotes and social media memes that tell us so. I’m just struck lately about how important it is to find personal happiness, what an intensely individual pursuit it is (i.e. your mom can’t find it for you), and how universally understood this emotion is. I may not agree with your passion, but I can recognize it, admire it and even celebrate it. Frankly, passionate people make both our big world and our smaller daily lives so much better. I’m grateful to work with, live around and share my community with passionate people.
Our winter issue is filled with stories about passion, from Ramona Hampton and Steve Starnes, whose passion for food and business is featured in our “Sugar and Spice” story to Randy Martens, a rock band mom whose understanding of her son’s passion for music turned her into a super fan. Even our special report on Economic Development and Business Growth is a study of passionate folks. Having a community of professionals committed to fostering business opportunity, job growth, development and redevelopment is a huge benefit to us all.
We have lots of new things on tap for 2016, starting with an expanded website that will launch early in the year. It’ll feature more options for our readers to chime in, including sections for school news and Gwinnett city news plus a dynamic business directory.
Stay tuned for more and Happy New Year!
Dana K. Urrutia
