I'm crazy excited! In the past two days, two old friends reached out from the shadows to mail checks for Raising Malawi, giving the total donations a $550 push!

Joe Cummings, whose birthday happens to be Monday (10/23) -- my favorite month, number and hence, day of the year -- wrote me that he thought he was going to be fined for submitting his condo assesment late. But that didn't happen, so .... he's putting this money to better use in Africa versus the gas tank of his management company board president's Cadillac Escalade.

I met Joe, what like six, seven years ago on a group trip to Italy. Our first group dinner together, I remember trying to push a shrimp out of its tail, inadvertantly shooting it across the table to land in Joe's lap. He was very decent about it. And returned it to me without saying anything. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. I was so embarrassed, but I knew immediately we were meant to be friends.

Anyway, thank you, Joe! I opened your letter in the elevator last night and kissed your check when I got it!

And then there's Spiro, who asked for no acknowledgment, but I can't help myself. I just had my 20 year high school reunion last week and was super bummed not to see Spiro there. Everyone let him off the hook because he's a dad to five Greek children and had to babysit.

I love the Greeks! And I always loved Spiro. We had a lot of the same classes together. He liked school and was good at it. I hated school. Despised it. I ditched a lot with my friend Bob Townsend. We'd usually leave around noon to go to his house to watch the Munsters and drink vodka. I just couldn't take it seriously. And I was starting to fail. I was overwhelmed. I had no real idea how I would afford college, but I knew I needed to go. So, my priority became working at K-mart for $5 an hour. And babysitting for $2 per hour to save up.

Spiro was kind to me. He told me my focus seemed off. For one, he couldn't understand why I listened to all that "heavy metal" stuff. I tried to explain that Pink Floyd isn't exactly metal, but he didn't get it. He was so straight and narrow.

Then he gave me some advice that shifted the entire context of my world. He said, work matters a lot to you right? "Yes!" I said, "of course it does. They pay me! I have responsibilities. I have to take it seriously!"

And then he said to me, "Well, if college matters to you and if getting a really good job someday matters to you, then you have to treat school like a job."

I don't even know if he would remember telling me that, but it changed everything for me. It really focused me. And I took on that advice in college - I became the CEO of my career...which started with my education.

And I went to college (dropped out 3 times to try to pay for it!) Then I went to grad school. And I was off....

Thank you, Spiro for your many contributions. May all good things return to you and your family.