July 26, 2026 – Vol. 30 No. 28

What will your last two words be?

Ian Cron shared on his podcast, “I recently read Ronald Rulheiser’s new book. It’s called Insane for the Light. And it’s about the last third of life. And I love what he has to say. And one of the goals that I have is that the last two words that I say on my deathbed are thank you. That’s the goal. Live in such a way that the last two words you say are thank you.”^[1]

My first thought: “What a goal!”

My second thought: “I want to live like that.”

My third thought: “What kind of life do I need to live so that my last two words to be thank you?”

I will need to live a life filled love for God and for His people.

I will need to live a life where I am intentionally looking for God’s daily miracles and blessings and share them with the people around me. 

I will need to live a life of acknowledging His presence, through the good times and the bad times, knowing I could not survive without Him. 

I want to live a life so my last two words I say are thank You.   

I love you.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2026 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

^[1] From Typology: Enneagram Essentials: Basic Fears, Jul 16, 2026

This material may be protected by copyright.

July 26, 2026 – Vol. 30 No. 28

What will your last two words be?

Ian Cron shared on his podcast, “I recently read Ronald Rulheiser’s new book. It’s called Insane for the Light. And it’s about the last third of life. And I love what he has to say. And one of the goals that I have is that the last two words that I say on my deathbed are thank you. That’s the goal. Live in such a way that the last two words you say are thank you.”^[1]

My first thought: “What a goal!”

My second thought: “I want to live like that.”

My third thought: “What kind of life do I need to live so that my last two words are thank you?”

I will need to live a life filled with love for God and for His people.

I will need to live a life where I am intentionally looking for God’s daily miracles and blessings and share them with the people around me. 

I will need to live a life of acknowledging His presence, through the good times and the bad times, knowing I could not survive without Him. 

I want to live a life so that my last two words I say are thank You.   

I love you.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2026 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

^[1] From Typology: Enneagram Essentials: Basic Fears, Jul 16, 2026

This material may be protected by copyright.

A Norvell Note: A Call from a Friend

July 12, 2026 – Vol. 30 No. 26

It was a simple phone call from a friend. We have tried to connect for several weeks, but kept missing each other. Finally, we had time to talk. We shared about our families, the ups and downs of aging, the good and bad of recent and current life events. We laughed. We almost cried a few times. And we laughed more. 

As the conversation was concluding, we almost promised to do better at communicating but paused and agreed, “We’ll do what we do.” And laughed. 

The call reminded me that:

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17) 

“A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” (Proverbs 27:9)

I hope you have a friend like mine. I hope you are a friend like mine. We all need refreshment for our souls, and a call from a good friend can do that. 

I love you.

Tom

A Norvell Note: 250^th

July 5, 2026 – Vol. 30 No. 25

From the comfort of our living room sofa in our air-conditioned house, we watched the fireworks in New York City and listened to them going off in our neighborhood. 

Happy 250^th Birthday to the United States of America. 

I love you.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2026 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved