Magic happens when you keep a promise. Sounds simple but it’s not easy. We make promises all day long. “Don’t hit the snooze button tomorrow.” “Write a thank you note to (fill-in-the-blank) today.” “I’ll call you later.” “I will be 15 minutes early for every appointment.” (Anyone who knows me is laughing at that last one.) Busy days and cluttered minds lead to tangled maps and debris-scattered paths that trip us up when we aren’t paying attention. So that’s how to make magic! Pay attention. This might mean “think before you speak” or “listen to what you say” or perhaps it’s both—depending on the circumstance. Either way, we can thoughtfully send words into the air; patiently listen, hear and absorb others’ words (before jumping in with our own); and make promises mindfully, to others and to ourselves. Follow through and—voila! You were up early and accomplished much; you made someone’s day with that thank you card; you learned something new on your phone call; you got time to relax and reflect because you were early. Magic! — Hillary Black

I recently experienced the trauma of evacuation alert for one of California’s fires. After racing to dress, pack our bags and load our vehicles, preparing our 95-year-old friend and helping her and her daughter select some can’t-live-without valuables, we were exhausted. For two days after the threat passed, I still felt like I was moving as if under water—not only because we woke up to smoke at 3 am, either. Imagine how the firefighters must feel after so many days and too many fires. How grateful we are for their skill and fierceness, loyalty and hard work. Uplifters are magic makers.

Force For Good’s monthly newsletter, The Inspirer, and blog posts throughout the year, celebrate uplifters and their stories in conjunction with our Passions CD, debuting February 2020. FFG will release one film a month: Each musical composition on Passions has a corresponding film that presents an urgent global need and uplifters who inspire us to take action. You can watch the trailers for Harmony and Ice here! But first, as 2019 goes holiday on us, we’ll introduce our FFG team. This month you’ll discover one of our inspirers, Rodney Whittenberg, and see how he makes magic by paying attention: to the people he meets, to their needs, and then conjuring creative projects that fulfill their dreams—and his.

Let’s give thanks every day, not just on Thanksgiving, for all the uplifters in our life.

Hillary Black, Editor, The Inspirer