I am fortunate to have readers send me emails and letters regularly but once in a while there is one that just hits home. A letter that is so personal, so deep, so honest – I feel honored I even have the ability to write and do what I do: To have this Magazine. To tell others’ story. To share the things in life I am most passionate about. This is first letter I am posting and have decided to start sharing them with all of you. While I won’t ever reveal the full name of the “Fans”, they have given me permission to share. Life is too short to waste a second. Live yours as big and boldly as possible. I hope to, in some small way, make a difference along your journey …
– Dawn Garcia, Editor-in-Chief, ATOD Magazine™
Letter to the Editor No.1
Received June 5th, 2013
“Good morning Dawn. I just wanted to start off by saying “THANK YOU”!!! I know that doesn’t make sense yet, but by the end of this message I hope it does. I know you don’t know me and I have never met you, but I feel as though I already know you. I have seen most of your videos and radio shows and I love the person you are. I know we have all gone through tough times and have had heartache and been beaten down, but I feel as though I had lost myself and the colors of my life were dull. Since I have come in contact with you the colors of my life are so bright and vibrant. I feel as I did when I was younger that I would make a difference in this world and open up the hearts and minds of people to something special. You have inspired me to be better, to be happy, to have hope, to see love, to dream, and to find my true soul. I know you have inspired me because I find myself eating right, exercising, and caring about myself again. I walk down the street and look people in the eye and say hello, when I had lost all of that. I know that I am here to do something special with my life and although I haven’t quite found out what that is yet, you have inspired me to seek that out. My heart is open again and my eyes have been awakened because of you.
I take the bus everyday from Santa Clarita down to Chatsworth and then have to walk about a mile to work. I got off the bus this morning put my headphones on and was listening to Jonny Lang and was thinking about what I was going to write to you and I welled up. My heart was so filled with emotion and such good feelings that it needed to come out. If you ever feel that what you are doing is not making a difference Dawn, please stop yourself and think about me because you have made a huge impact on my life. I think you are such a beautiful person on the inside as well as the outside, but what you have inside of you is so rare and special!!! I know it is not often that I just pour my heart out to someone, but with you I feel safe. I feel that if anyone can understand me it would be you. So, at the beginning of this message I said “THANK YOU” and now at the end I hope you understand the heart that was felt behind those two words!!! Have a great day Dawn and enjoy it to the fullest!”
– Greg W. – Santa Clarita, CA
Thank you Greg for allowing me the opportunity to even have a forum to write, to share the things I find most beautiful in this world. This letter brought me to tears in the most pure way. Thank you for opening up your heart and sharing it with me and allowing me to share it with our readers. You are a beautiful soul! Here’s to living a life FULL of color. Let every moment just dance around you and embrace you every step of the way…
– Dawn Garcia – Los Angeles, CA
