Dear friend,  

In December 1941 the world witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor which was followed, in August 1945, by the destructive forces of the atomic bomb. The United States and Japan engaged in a most tragic war in this time period.

Dear  friend,  

In a recent study, one out of every two girls avoided activities such as swimming and other sports because of body-image issues, and one out of four girls was afraid to raise her hand in class. So many of us miss out on precious opportunities because we feel inadequate and afraid to speak up. Prevalence of low self-esteem is difficult to precisely measure in the population, but it is likely high. Estimates range from 20 to 80 percent.

May you sing the song of your heart each day, no matter your ability to sing.

Dear friend,

I had no idea how bad a singer I am until one day, while I was singing, my daughter started crying. She was crying because of how badly I was singing! (This is called the Dunning-Kruger effect — an illusion some unskilled people carry that they are very talented. I am sure you know a few of them!)