The Gift Of Fortune.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about a small lucky package.

When I returned home from a long day at the office, my kids promptly announced that a special package had arrived at the house for me, and they demanded it be opened IMMEDIATELY. The little ones must have been staring at the little brown box all afternoon. It should be known, such suspense is nearly unbearable for them. To their dismay, I was reluctantly granted permission to set down my briefcase and permitted just barely enough time to remove my coat before opening the package.

Inside was a handwritten card from Naomi saying, "You are a wonderful role model - friend, husband, and father - never change." With the card was the most amazing chrome fortune cookie, intricately hinged and clasped so it may be opened and closed. Naomi also included a fortune about a "small lucky package," which is of course the topic for Today's Marketing Cookie.

I struggle to express how much this gift truly means to me. It represents validation and encouragement for the two hours each day I have been giving to writing daily cookies over the past ten months. Naomi, true to what I appreciate most about her, somehow knows to send validation and encouragement when it's most definitely needed.

I'll admit, early in the project there were days when I had written my heart out for one of these cookies and received no response, feedback, or indication that anyone noticed. When such silence endures, it becomes more and more difficult to wake up the next morning before dawn to write again. Then, out of the blue, a tweet will arrive with a photo of a fresh new fortune from a complete stranger and my commitment to the project grows stronger.

While Naomi's gift supports the daily writing of marketing cookies, her generous words of encouragement in the card suggest validation for me personally and how I try to live my life. I am humbled to be considered a role model but am proud to say that my stature in this world is a direct reflection of my mentors, my teachers, and the gentle influence of my mother. If my life is viewed positively by others, I am pleased to be effective in somehow living my life as they have.

If, however, there's one part of Naomi's words I must take to heart and desperately pray to be true, it is that I may truly be a good friend, husband, and father. What benefit can be gained by writing a thousand cookies if I won't be a good friend, if I forget to love my wife, or neglect the time I have with my children?

Naomi's gift is a generous gesture of encouragement, but it also contains a simple request of "never change." As I gratefully receive her gift, I also solemnly accept her request in the only way I know how: by promising to continue living my life in the image of my mother, who taught me how to be a good friend, how to treat women, and how to be a loving parent.

Thank you, Naomi, for today's "small lucky package"! Thank you for your encouragement, and most of all, thank you for the reminder of what is most important, which is that all the fortune in the world cannot replace the treasures I already possess.