A few meandering thoughts:

You know, I really don't know how many times I've wondered at how it could have been possible for me to have become connected with the friends I have. Men of vision. Men of faith. Men of integrity. Men of genuineness. What is more important than having associations with people like that? People that have a real desire to grow? People without pretense, people who are driven by genuine desire and love? Am I dreaming here?

To be brutally honest, I don't really think our little group is the best pieces of Edison, Disney, Lasseter, Jobs, and Henson all rolled in to one. I know that there is real danger in believing oneself to be elite or better in some way than all the others. I can't say that 95% of the other people in the world don't feel the same way I do about their own friends, but I really don't care about that. It doesn't lessen my amazement and gratitude very much.

We may not be the Pixar brain trust, or as visionary as the founders of our Nation, but I do know we have vision and creative spirit, and like any skills these can be honed and nurtured. We're young yet.

We are still dealing with barriers, but we're growing. We still fear, but we're growing. We still doubt, but we're growing. Our vision is not focused as much as it may need to be, but we are growing. Life is school, right?

We talk about changing the world, about making positive contributions to our fellow travelers on this planet, and these discussions often to point to amassing financial resources which we can use to bless the lives of others. True, money can be a powerful instrument for good, and I truly hope that we'll someday have the power to be wisely charitable with vast financial resources, however, this I believe: Each of Heavenly Father's children comes to this Earth endowed with gifts, and at the end of the week, we'll be measured on how we applied those gifts. If Nathan's gift is to communicate through the works of his hands, let those works be his tools for good. Ked by media, Abe by his versatility, and so on for each other person on the planet. Let us remember that life is short, both for us and for our brothers and sisters. What will leave a more lasting impact -- sharing a personal, divine gift, or writing a check? It's not about changing the world, it's about changing people. That's the sticky bit, though, you can't change people. You love people. Is it possible to make every choice one motivated by love? Instead of a focus on producing money, is it possible to focus on producing love? Beyond the necessity of paying the bills, I feel there's a greater application of our talents.

We're getting ever closer to fulfilling our dreams, and I'd just like to make this one point: Let us follow or dreams, in their purity, and not muddle them up with other ideas that may not be as inspired. This just occurred to me, really, that it may not be our job in the great plan to be the billionaires who sponsor scores of missionaries and send tons of rice (or half-eaten sandwiches) to starving kids in China. Money is a tricky thing, and while I think it's possible, and even appropriate at times, it's touchy business to love somebody with a signature on a bank note or a stack of Benjamins (the green ones). In this regard, good models for us would be Charlie and Donna Cooley of the Happy Factory.

Whatever our gifts may be, money, influence, fame, humility, obscurity, media, programming, puppets and costumes, or whatever, let us become all that we're able, let us learn to abolish barriers, let us be active pupils and follow our dreams in this school that's called life, but through it all, let us love.

So, looking forward -- where do we go from here?
"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." (D&C 6:36)
I don't know, specifically. I think the answer is something like: follow the trail of your dreams while looking up. Yeah, it's a faith thing.