From the Author: Food for Thought began with coffee, though I can't really remember precisely when. As long as we were married, my husband brought me coffee in bed each morning. I loved starting my day peacefully, from the cozy comfort of my bed, a strong cup of coffee in hand. I refer to it as my time to become "one with the world." Starting my day on my laptop is what led me to collecting quotes in earnest, I loved many of the quotes so much that I wanted to see them again and again, to be reminded of their wisdom with regularity. I started calendarizing them. Now my morning included my coffee, my puzzles and a daily reading of quotes, poems and passages that were meaningful to me. Over time, they started to stack up. I had quotes that repeated weekly, monthly, annually, I had amassed quite a collection. My quotes were a private ritual that remained incredibly meaningful to me. As my collection of meaningful quotes, statements, and articles grew, I started to work my quotes into my professional life. I used these quotes as outlines for speaking engagements, as a way to drive home a point with my team at work, and as a framework for my radio show. Then the quotes moved into my personal life-big time. After my son graduated from college, he was working in a new job in a city he hated and mending from a breakup. I wanted to comfort him and uplift him without smothering him so I started sending him a morning text with a quote that I thought might help. Soon I added my daughter to the text. I realized I felt a dedication to putting a good, strong, positive, inspirational and grounding thought in their heads each day. I wanted to keep connected without being overbearing. I wanted to let them know that I loved them so much that they were my first thoughts each day. And I wanted to show them the power of small things done repeatedly. As the daily texts went on, I gave my morning quotes some context by starting each one with "Mom's Daily Wisdom" and then the quote. Each morning, I signed off with "I love you both!". As this went on, I abbreviated Mom's Daily Wisdom to "MDW". Very soon, MDW became "a thing". I loved that I got an "I love you Mom" back each morning. I loved when they would say "Great one Mom" If I was late with it, my kids would call me out on it-"Where's the MDW?" 4As I write this, I have sent 2926 MDW to my kids and my daughter in law is part of the text chain, too. I've missed a few days here and there, but that's it, just a few days. Now it's a calling. I've known I had to do something with this heartfelt project, and not just because my kids like it. When I would use quotes to frame my speeches, people would approach me afterward letting me know they really needed to hear the particular message that day. I've been so touched by the number of people that will still tell me about one of my quotes or statements that continue to impact their lives. I have studied the value of rituals, especially the ones that start the day. I know the power of starting with a good, centering thought. It's my hope that this book works for you like it works for me-to start your day with a good thought, a deep thought, or a thought-provoking idea. I hope it's a good thought you can use, and that it's just what you needed today.