Mark Deklin quotes:

Choose love. Teach love. And never lose your curiosity.

Create the world you want to see.

Love is real. In every single moment, there are only two choices: love or fear. I can tell you from experience that love is exponentially more powerful. And a hell of a lot more fun.

Accept the gift and honor the giver.

Learn how to let go and say a good good-bye.

That same intense, overpowering, and all-encompassing love that you feel for your family can also be utterly terrifying.

Always look for common ground, but don't ever be afraid to choose sides.

Be bold. Be kind. Be brave.

Figure out what you believe in and what you're willing to fight for, then figure out what your special talents are and apply them to it.

I'm fearful and anxious for my family in ways that I've never been fearful or anxious for myself. I'm completely vulnerable to their pain, both physical and emotional. It's wild. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

One of the gifts of parenthood is that it forces you to be a bit more conscious about it, if only because you quickly realize that those kids are learning from your every action.

Reading and gardening are really big for me, along with music and exercise. If I go more than a day or two without a run or a bike ride or something, I start to get kind of itchy and antsy.

The one thing I would tell everyone - myself included - would be to just chill out. Life, by design, provides us with plenty of drama without us having to augment it and invent more. Just chill.