Jason Lethcoe's work has been included in The Little Mermaid, The Tigger Movie, Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas, The Pagemaster, Disney’s Home On The Range, Surf's Up and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. He is also an internationally published author of several critically acclaimed books. Amazing Adventures From Zoom’s Academy, his first series, was made into the movie Zoom starring Tim Allen in 2006. His current series is titled, No Place Like Holmes. Mr. Lethcoe lives in Thousand Oaks, California with his wife Nancy and their three children Emily, Alex, and Olivia. Visit him at www.jasonlethcoe.com

A week ago I had the pleasure of meeting my favorite author.

Ray Bradbury is a master of science fiction, and reading his stories was a big part of my childhood. For those who aren’t familiar with his work, he wrote exciting books like The Martian Chronicles, Dandelion Wine, Fahrenheit 451, and many others. His stories range from fantastic to creepy and are guaranteed to keep a young boy up all night reading with a flashlight under the covers!

Mr. Bradbury recently turned ninety-one. A friend of mine who knew him invited me over to Mr. Bradbury’s house. I was thrilled to accept the invitation.

When I walked through the front door of his quaint, 1950s home, I was stunned. It was like physically stepping into his imagination! Dinosaurs and toys, books and strange artifacts, ancient movie posters and artwork from the covers of some of my favorite books were everywhere. It was seeing his personal toy box . . . each item providing the source of inspiration for everything he’s ever written.

I was dumbfounded.

I was reminded of one of my favorite Ray Bradbury quotes. He’s often encouraged young people to “Do what you love and love what you do.” He said that when he was growing up, he decided to be a writer and never gave up on that dream. He wrote almost every day of his life, even when he had hardly enough money to survive. To him, doing the thing you were born to do was the most important thing in life. And as he celebrates ninety-one years of sticking to that conviction, it raises some wonderful questions.

What is it that you believe God wants you to do? Have you ever stopped and considered the talents He’s blessed you with? What is it that you would do, even if nobody paid you to do it? And, most important, how can you use that thing to bring Him more glory?

When we are young, our minds are open to all kinds of possibilities. Sometimes, as we grow older, we’re told to let go of those dreams and focus on other things. I believe that God puts desires in our hearts, because He’s made each one of us unique and wants us to use our talents. And it’s never too late to start using them!

When what you do comes from a place of love, it stands a very good chance of aligning with God’s will. After all, He’s the embodiment of love itself.

As I shook Mr. Bradbury’s aged hand and told him how much he meant to me, he smiled and thanked me. Then he asked me to do something I never expected. He asked me to read him the prologue of one of his books, a collection called The Stories of Ray Bradbury.

The prologue was eight or nine pages long and was filled with stories about his life, why he wrote his stories, and his convictions about the reasons for living. At times it was hard to keep reading because I would find myself overwhelmed with emotion. I was able to ask him questions as I read, and he answered them as best as he was able, sometimes with a faraway look in his eyes as he recalled a wonderful memory or event.

When I finished reading, he looked at me and told me that it was good. And I realized that he wasn’t just talking about his writing. He was talking about the way he had lived his life. It was good. He was happy. He had done what he loved to do.

Let’s think about the good gifts God has given us and the way we can spend our time while we’re here on earth. It truly is a wonderful life.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bradbury.

I sincerely hope you live forever.