He thought about it but never actually started the note. It felt too impersonal and too abrupt and frankly too desperate.

Well, don’t want to burst your bubble, Kev, but you are a little desperate, you know?

He found a link that sent him to a local news piece, highlighting a college student who was giving up his next semester at Clemson in order to walk for the homeless for six months. The reporter talked about how this kid had been impacted after spending a night working at a food kitchen in downtown Greenville. The student said that after seeing homelessness for the first time, he decided he wanted to do something more than spend a couple hours doing something anybody could do in their sleep.

Maybe I’ll do the same. I’ll walk for a cause and get publicity and then out of that I’ll end up finding all these doors opening.

Kevin clicked off the link and felt ashamed at the thought. Greenville didn’t exactly have an overwhelming homeless problem, but he knew that there were other charities he could do something like this for. It had been a long time since he’d done anything for charity. It had been a long time since he’d done much of anything except try to build this company into something profitable and exciting.

Maybe he’s got the whole thing right, Kevin thought about the college kid.

Instead of focusing on school and career and the future, this kid was doing something tangible and real and meaningful. For people who didn’t have anything. Not just looking for jobs, but looking for a life.

Kevin thought about the Angel Tree program. He quickly shut off his computer as well as the melancholy thoughts and decided to head to the Apple Store on the way home. He still needed to get “Thomas” an iPod. Maybe he would browse for a few minutes and see all the toys he’d love to write down on an angel ornament one day too.

He was almost out of the store—seconds away from opening the glass door and exiting—when he glanced over and saw Amanda. At first, Kevin paused, thinking that he was not really seeing the woman. But a face that recognized him and smiled with surprise confirmed it.

“Kevin—Kevin Morrell?”

Amanda Lake walked over and gave him a big hug. An energetic beam of a smile lit up her pretty face.

“What are you doing around here?” Kevin asked. “I thought you guys moved to Texas.”

“We’re in Nashvegas now. Gotta love it, huh? We’re visiting my parents for a couple of weeks before we head to Massachusetts to spend Christmas with the in-laws.”

Amanda looked tanned and toned and still young, even though they were the same age. Life was definitely treating her well, Kevin thought.

“You guys are expecting, right?” Amanda asked with a zeal that seemed heartfelt and real.

“Yeah. Couple more months. Hopefully.”

“Twins, right?”