DAN GEDIMAN is executive director of This I Believe, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that engages people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief have been featured on public radio since 2005. Gediman is the coeditor of the New York Times bestseller This I Believe, as well as This I Believe II, This I Believe: On Love, This I Believe: On Fatherhood and This I Believe: On Motherhood. JOHN GREGORY is editorial director and MARY JO GEDIMAN is outreach director of This I Believe, Inc.

• Introduction 1The Power of Hello 5Howard WhiteThe Art of Being a Neighbor 8Eve BirchA Kind and Generous Heart 11Christine LittleMake It Do 14Patricia AndersonGrace Is a Gift 17Laura DurhamThe Sisterhood of Roller Derby 20Erin BlakemoreCaring Makes Us Human 23Troy ChapmanSatisfaction with a Job Well Done 26Nancy Pieters MayfieldThe World Is Imperfect 29Suzanne ClearyPeace Can Happen 32Christine KingeryA Priceless Lesson in Humility 36Felipe MoralesFinding Out What’s under Second Base 39Lex UrbanAccomplishing Big Things in Small Pieces 42William WissemannI Have to See the World 45Veena MuthuramanDeciding to Live 49Kij JohnsonWalking in the Light 52Paul ThornThe Perfect Merge 55Lori VermeulenListening Is Powerful Medicine 58Alicia M. Conill, M.D.Semper Fidelis 61Andrew ParadisOur Vulnerability Is Our Strength 64Colin BatesPatriotic Ponderings 67Joan SkibaOpening the Door of Mercy 70Karin RoundThe True Value of Life 73Sudie Bond NolandAn Invitation to Dialogue 76Madhukar RaoHomeless but Not Hopeless: A Man Finds His Soul 79Les GapayThe Power of Sleep 82Anne HoppusWhere Wildflowers Grow 85Maureen Crane WartskiI Could Be Wrong 88Allan BargerEveryone Is Included 91Catherine McdowallA Lesson I Hold Dear 95Kara Gebhart UhlA Taste of Success 98Geoffrey CanadaA Grace of Silence 102Andrew FlewellingDo Talk to Strangers 105Sabrina DubikFinding Our Common Ground 108Robin MizeBus Chick’s Manifesto 111Carla SaulterRight Now Matters 114Samantha JacobsSeeing with the Heart 117Stephanie DisneySpeak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace 120Dani WeathersThe Triumph of Kindness 123Josh SteinTime to Walk the Dog 126Betsy Buchalter AdlerYankee Go Home 129Rita BarrettThe Courage to Change the Things I Can 133Mark OlmstedTo Hear Your Inner Voice 136Christine Todd WhitmanKeep It Real 139Rose Eiesland FosterImportant Strangers 142Leslie GuttmanMy Parents as Friends 146Bhavani G. MurugesanA Good Neighborhood 149Jeff NixaBelieving in People 152Rebecca KlottBecoming Friends 155Larry ChastonJust Say No 158Jessica ParisCourage Comes with Practice 161Theresa MacphailAdapting to the Possibilities of Life 164Donald L. Rosenstein, M.D.Why Are We Here? 167Dale LongA Drive to Achieve the Extraordinary 170Juliet FrerkingInviting the World to Dinner 173Jim HaynesFinding the Flexibility to Survive 176Brighton EarleyThe Act of Giving Thanks 179Michelle LeeSally’s Monday 182Patricia JamesIf You Don’t Do It, Who Will? 185Jodi WebbHere Comes (the Real) Santa Claus 188Becky SunAppendix: How to Write Your OwnThis I Believe Essay 191Acknowledgments 193

DAN GEDIMAN is executive director of This I Believe, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that engages people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief have been featured on public radio since 2005. Gediman is the coeditor of the New York Times bestseller This I Believe, as well as This I Believe II, This I Believe: On Love, This I Believe: On Fatherhood and This I Believe: On Motherhood. JOHN GREGORY is editorial director and MARY JO GEDIMAN is outreach director of This I Believe, Inc.

• Introduction 1The Power of Hello 5Howard WhiteThe Art of Being a Neighbor 8Eve BirchA Kind and Generous Heart 11Christine LittleMake It Do 14Patricia AndersonGrace Is a Gift 17Laura DurhamThe Sisterhood of Roller Derby 20Erin BlakemoreCaring Makes Us Human 23Troy ChapmanSatisfaction with a Job Well Done 26Nancy Pieters MayfieldThe World Is Imperfect 29Suzanne ClearyPeace Can Happen 32Christine KingeryA Priceless Lesson in Humility 36Felipe MoralesFinding Out What’s under Second Base 39Lex UrbanAccomplishing Big Things in Small Pieces 42William WissemannI Have to See the World 45Veena MuthuramanDeciding to Live 49Kij JohnsonWalking in the Light 52Paul ThornThe Perfect Merge 55Lori VermeulenListening Is Powerful Medicine 58Alicia M. Conill, M.D.Semper Fidelis 61Andrew ParadisOur Vulnerability Is Our Strength 64Colin BatesPatriotic Ponderings 67Joan SkibaOpening the Door of Mercy 70Karin RoundThe True Value of Life 73Sudie Bond NolandAn Invitation to Dialogue 76Madhukar RaoHomeless but Not Hopeless: A Man Finds His Soul 79Les GapayThe Power of Sleep 82Anne HoppusWhere Wildflowers Grow 85Maureen Crane WartskiI Could Be Wrong 88Allan BargerEveryone Is Included 91Catherine McdowallA Lesson I Hold Dear 95Kara Gebhart UhlA Taste of Success 98Geoffrey CanadaA Grace of Silence 102Andrew FlewellingDo Talk to Strangers 105Sabrina DubikFinding Our Common Ground 108Robin MizeBus Chick’s Manifesto 111Carla SaulterRight Now Matters 114Samantha JacobsSeeing with the Heart 117Stephanie DisneySpeak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace 120Dani WeathersThe Triumph of Kindness 123Josh SteinTime to Walk the Dog 126Betsy Buchalter AdlerYankee Go Home 129Rita BarrettThe Courage to Change the Things I Can 133Mark OlmstedTo Hear Your Inner Voice 136Christine Todd WhitmanKeep It Real 139Rose Eiesland FosterImportant Strangers 142Leslie GuttmanMy Parents as Friends 146Bhavani G. MurugesanA Good Neighborhood 149Jeff NixaBelieving in People 152Rebecca KlottBecoming Friends 155Larry ChastonJust Say No 158Jessica ParisCourage Comes with Practice 161Theresa MacphailAdapting to the Possibilities of Life 164Donald L. Rosenstein, M.D.Why Are We Here? 167Dale LongA Drive to Achieve the Extraordinary 170Juliet FrerkingInviting the World to Dinner 173Jim HaynesFinding the Flexibility to Survive 176Brighton EarleyThe Act of Giving Thanks 179Michelle LeeSally’s Monday 182Patricia JamesIf You Don’t Do It, Who Will? 185Jodi WebbHere Comes (the Real) Santa Claus 188Becky SunAppendix: How to Write Your OwnThis I Believe Essay 191Acknowledgments 193

DAN GEDIMAN is executive director of This I Believe, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that engages people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief have been featured on public radio since 2005. Gediman is the coeditor of the New York Times bestseller This I Believe, as well as This I Believe II, This I Believe: On Love, This I Believe: On Fatherhood and This I Believe: On Motherhood. JOHN GREGORY is editorial director and MARY JO GEDIMAN is outreach director of This I Believe, Inc.

• Introduction 1The Power of Hello 5Howard WhiteThe Art of Being a Neighbor 8Eve BirchA Kind and Generous Heart 11Christine LittleMake It Do 14Patricia AndersonGrace Is a Gift 17Laura DurhamThe Sisterhood of Roller Derby 20Erin BlakemoreCaring Makes Us Human 23Troy ChapmanSatisfaction with a Job Well Done 26Nancy Pieters MayfieldThe World Is Imperfect 29Suzanne ClearyPeace Can Happen 32Christine KingeryA Priceless Lesson in Humility 36Felipe MoralesFinding Out What’s under Second Base 39Lex UrbanAccomplishing Big Things in Small Pieces 42William WissemannI Have to See the World 45Veena MuthuramanDeciding to Live 49Kij JohnsonWalking in the Light 52Paul ThornThe Perfect Merge 55Lori VermeulenListening Is Powerful Medicine 58Alicia M. Conill, M.D.Semper Fidelis 61Andrew ParadisOur Vulnerability Is Our Strength 64Colin BatesPatriotic Ponderings 67Joan SkibaOpening the Door of Mercy 70Karin RoundThe True Value of Life 73Sudie Bond NolandAn Invitation to Dialogue 76Madhukar RaoHomeless but Not Hopeless: A Man Finds His Soul 79Les GapayThe Power of Sleep 82Anne HoppusWhere Wildflowers Grow 85Maureen Crane WartskiI Could Be Wrong 88Allan BargerEveryone Is Included 91Catherine McdowallA Lesson I Hold Dear 95Kara Gebhart UhlA Taste of Success 98Geoffrey CanadaA Grace of Silence 102Andrew FlewellingDo Talk to Strangers 105Sabrina DubikFinding Our Common Ground 108Robin MizeBus Chick’s Manifesto 111Carla SaulterRight Now Matters 114Samantha JacobsSeeing with the Heart 117Stephanie DisneySpeak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace 120Dani WeathersThe Triumph of Kindness 123Josh SteinTime to Walk the Dog 126Betsy Buchalter AdlerYankee Go Home 129Rita BarrettThe Courage to Change the Things I Can 133Mark OlmstedTo Hear Your Inner Voice 136Christine Todd WhitmanKeep It Real 139Rose Eiesland FosterImportant Strangers 142Leslie GuttmanMy Parents as Friends 146Bhavani G. MurugesanA Good Neighborhood 149Jeff NixaBelieving in People 152Rebecca KlottBecoming Friends 155Larry ChastonJust Say No 158Jessica ParisCourage Comes with Practice 161Theresa MacphailAdapting to the Possibilities of Life 164Donald L. Rosenstein, M.D.Why Are We Here? 167Dale LongA Drive to Achieve the Extraordinary 170Juliet FrerkingInviting the World to Dinner 173Jim HaynesFinding the Flexibility to Survive 176Brighton EarleyThe Act of Giving Thanks 179Michelle LeeSally’s Monday 182Patricia JamesIf You Don’t Do It, Who Will? 185Jodi WebbHere Comes (the Real) Santa Claus 188Becky SunAppendix: How to Write Your OwnThis I Believe Essay 191Acknowledgments 193