The Christmas Parable--A Family Tradition

There's a tradition in my house that every year on Christmas eve my brothers, sister, and I would gather around the living room floor and listen to Grandma Dorothy read the Christmas Parable.

This story helped teach my grandparents as well as us kids about the true meaning of Christmas.

As a kid it was something I had to endure before getting to the good stuff (the presents), and now I realize that listening to this story from Grandma Dorothy is the good stuff.

As my friends and loved ones, I invite you to take part in this Christmas family tradition.

Take a deep breath. Relax, and enjoy this Christmas parable.

A Movie About Our Search for Love

Anybody who has watched our documentary film, Project Everlasting: The Search for America's Greatest Marriages Begins!, can recognize that we didn't produce it with money but rather with everything we had otherwise.

What we had, of course, were the stories of about a hundred everlasting couples, a lot of heart, and a lot of desire to share what we'd been discovering.

Watching this trailer for Paper Heart reminded me of that grassroots, low-budget approach to filmmaking, which is why I'll for sure be standing in line for the movie when it comes out, along with the other 10 or 11 people who appreciate art that's made with more heart than dollars.

Here's the trailer for the movie so you can see what I'm talking about...



But it's not just the movie's shoestring, organic approach to filmmaking that draws me here. No, I'm also interested in the main character's quest itself: she's taking an honest look at what love means for other human beings, and then discovering how she does or doesn't relate to those ideas of fulfillment. What a stellar question for us to ask! For the opportunity to see how she arrives at answers and how those answers affect her, I will gladly pay my $10.50 admission.

As you might gather now, I'm not posting this to persuade you to go see a particular movie. Heck, you might find the question "What does love mean to me?" at the spine of Sandra Bullock's latest, Blindside, and I'd get it. Indeed, just about any form of entertainment or art probably has a hint of this question at its fundamental root. But my question to you is -- and may it be a persuasive one -- how do you define love?

• Is love the quality time someone spends with you?
• Is love the dinner bill that someone picks up for you?
• Is love the note that someone writes to you?
• Is love the look that someone gives you?
• Is love the commitment someone makes to you?
• Is love the way someone touches you?
• Is love the words that someone speaks to you?
• Is love the space that someone creates for you?
• Is love the forgiveness that someone holds for you?

Spend time right now reflecting upon how you best define love's meaning.  I suggest looking deeply at how you enjoy love's great fruits when received from another first, and then asking yourself an important second question: Do I give myself that same measure of love?

Or...do I wait for that someone to do it for me?

Start with yourself, I say. The rest will follow your lead.

How to create special moments on Thanksgiving

Hi Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a great technique for creating special moments on special days.

With Love and Light,
Mat Boggs
Co-Author: Project Everlasting
Author: Cracking The Man Code
Certified Life Success Consultant

Project Everlasting: A Wedding Ceremony for The Ages

Talk about a wedding ceremony that won't soon be forgotten! What a great way to start an everlasting marriage...Check it out:



(If you do not see the video player, please copy and paste this into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0 )


Keep the dancing alive,

Jason Miller & Mat Boggs

In love? It's not enough to keep a marriage, study finds

SYDNEY, July 14 (Reuters Life!) - Living happily ever after needn't only be for fairy tales. Australian researchers have identified what it takes to keep a couple together, and it's a lot more than just being in love.

A couple's age, previous relationships and even whether they smoke or not are factors that influence whether their marriage is going to last, according to a study by researchers from the Australian National University.

The study, entitled "What's Love Got to Do With It", tracked nearly 2,500 couples -- married or living together -- from 2001 to 2007 to identify factors associated with those who remained together compared with those who divorced or separated.

It found that a husband who is nine or more years older than his wife is twice as likely to get divorced, as are husbands who get married before they turn 25.

Children also influence the longevity of a marriage or relationship, with one-fifth of couples who have kids before marriage -- either from a previous relationship or in the same relationship -- having separated compared to just nine percent of couples without children born before marriage.

Women who want children much more than their partners are also more likely to get a divorce.

A couple's parents also have a role to play in their own relationship, with the study showing some 16 percent of men and women whose parents ever separated or divorced experienced marital separation themselves compared to 10 percent for those whose parents did not separate.

Also, partners who are on their second or third marriage are 90 percent more likely to separate than spouses who are both in their first marriage.

Not surprisingly, money also plays a role, with up to 16 percent of respondents who indicated they were poor or where the husband -- not the wife -- was unemployed saying they had separated, compared with only nine percent of couples with healthy finances.

And couples where one partner, and not the other, smokes are also more likely to have a relationship that ends in failure.

Factors found to not significantly affect separation risk included the number and age of children born to a married couple, the wife's employment status and the number of years the couple had been employed.

The study was jointly written by Dr Rebecca Kippen and Professor Bruce Chapman from The Australian National University, and Dr Peng Yu from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.


(Writing by Miral Fahmy; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Posted from: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSP483675

Project Everlasting success in JAPAN!

Last summer, Japan released a translated version of our Project Everlasting book and we are grateful to announce that it was a national bestseller for the first few weeks on the shelves. It's not the NY Times, sure, but it still felt good to know that our labor of love was well-received internationally.

Here are some testimonials from some of our Japanese readers...

Hello Jason, Thank you so very much for you email! I did regret not writing my name in the comments section, so I'm really glad you asked. My name is Anna. I came across your book one night at a neighborhood bookstore, while I was in search of another book. While I was in search, my eyes were drawn to your book. When you suddenly come across an unexpected book,it's destiny :)

So I picked it up. Since the topic was something I've been pondering about since my early childhood years, I thought it would be a great hint for life. So as soon as I started reading, I couldn't stop turning the pages. I was intrigued by the many truths unfolded, and simply enchanted by those true love stories. Now I understand what my mother meant when she told me that love"takes time". I guess love is like a big piece of painting that requires, patience and faith to turn into a masterpiece. But always with lot's of fun :D

I just want to thank you again for the consideration to ask for my name.And another thank you for working on such an amazing book.Please give my regards to Mat too. Have a fantastic night!

Hugs and Peace from Japan,
Anna

***

Dear Mathew Boggs, Jason Miller, Grandma Dorothy,
I'm Japanese, I read your book in Japanese. It is wonderful book, I cried for some stories, and Grandma Dorothy with raining. I laugh at Mathew and Jason's comments. The translation is very good. I think Japanese can also learn a lot from your book. I'd like to watch the DVD, so I hope to sell it with Japanese subtitles. Thank you.

Best Regards,
Akiko Koga(female)

***

Dear Jason and Mat,
Hi! My name is Chika and I am from Japan. I bought your "Project Everlasting" book which is translated in Japanese. I was going to buy some other books and looking around the bookstore. Then this fantastic book just caught my eyes! Really nice hardcovered book with a very interesting title! Two bachelors to find the marriage masters across the States? My first impression was "No way!" I was really curious how you could find such couples and what you both would do with these people! This two questions just led me buy the book!

When I got back home, I immediately started reading! Within a day, I even finished reading half way. I decided not to read whole entire book within two days, so I read one chapter in a day. Trust me, it was really hard to close the book since each story really has a lot of meanings of love. I am also single woman and living with my boyfriend. Although these stories are coming from marriage masters, it still gives great advice on my relationship with him. I am actually practicing many advice on my relationship. Of course, some are not easy to follow, but I am doing my best!

I wanted to let both of you know that I am really grateful to meet this book and now I am really looking forward to having a family with husband. Again, thank you so much!

Warmest regards,
Chika

May Edition of Love Notes, Project Everlasting's Free Newsletter

IN MEMORY

One moment, her eyes were present and bright; the next, faded into the confusing abyss of a life without history, a seeming non-existence. Anne Stidham's mind was afflicted by Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's disease is the ultimate thief: Silent, it sneaks calmly into your bedroom closet while you're brushing your teeth; Subtle, it lifts smaller items here and there, month by month, so that by the time you realize something's missing half your belongings are gone; Merciless, it does not take what it wants and bolt out the back window as you pull the car up the drive, but rather makes a homestead in your brain, ever increasing its lot, pickpocketing your property until you don't remember who you are. And you die with no memory of the life you've lived.

Or, in Anne's case, the husband you've loved for 63 years.

When Mat and I interviewed Anne and her husband, Jim, back in 2005, it was clear that the thief had been with her for quite awhile. She would begin to answer our questions about their early marriage days, then hesitate, confused, then agitated, until finally she'd look to Jim for answers to a question she couldn't remember.

It's frustrating enough as an interviewer when you know the story is right there, just a few details away from being an illuminating anecdote for, in our project's case, how to make a successful relationship tick. But I think it's safe to say we had no idea what frustration really felt like when compared to the daily struggles for Jim, a man who could do nothing for his wife but watch her slowly get robbed of all memory by a disease that has no known cures. Then again, there was just one other thing Jim could do, which he did wholeheartedly: Love her.

There's that famous poem about love in the Bible, often quoted at wedding ceremonies: Love is patient, love is kind, it begins. And that's just it: that's where love's definition merely begins. Because, as Jim's compassion-filled eyes told me that day we sat with him and his memory-challenged wife, Love is not defined in words.

Many of you responded passionately to the last Love Notes I wrote to you, the one about change and compassion, but nobody's response hit me like the one from Stidham's daughter, who replied from Jim's email address:

This is Anne and Jim's daughter. My dad passed away 6 hours short of their 64th wedding anniversary. My mother is sufficiently confused that we never told her, but she knows anyway.
This [email] will be closed shortly.

I wept as I reread the message and thought back to Jim's big, triumphant laughter while he was describing a fight between him and Anne:

"So she sat on top of me and grabbed me by the ears and started pounding my head against the floor and I was just laughing!"

While Mat and I laughed with Jim (now that's a fight!), I noticed Anne's reaction; her face told me that she did not recall this event. And I imagine that since that day, Anne's condition only worsened causing her to simply forget Jim altogether at times, further testing his capacity for patience and selfless love, which, I believe, is the deepest, most inherent gift a relationship can offer: the mirror into which we can look to discover just where exactly we are in our hero's journey - not the journey to amass financial wealth or material goodies, of course, but our spiritual journey to be peaceful and be happy and to know God...to know Love.

Can you create tranquility in your heart and soul, right now and always, regardless of the external circumstances? The best source for your answer to that question is in your intimate relationships with the people who matter most to you.

Whenever someone dies, I think it's important to look upon the person's life and illuminate the positive legacy left behind, and since Anne may or may not remember much about her husband of just six hours shy of 64 years, may you and I honor James Stidham's memory right now by recognizing his essential greatness: He was a truly loving man...he is a hero.

Many blessings to you today...make every memory count, ok?

Jason Miller
Project Everlasting


**** Always feel free to pass this or any other edition of our free newsletter, Love Notes, along to your friends, family, and colleagues. And thank you for helping us increase love in the world, one heart at a time.

Love Notes: Spring Cleaning & Thoughts on Change [April/08]

April 28th, 2008

Spring Cleaning & Thoughts on Change

Ah, the great practice of spring cleaning and rejuvenating...

Mat and I are just now emerging from a short nap in our respective bachelor caves where we each took opportunities to go on retreat and gather thoughts and creative energy. Coming back together, we then challenged ourselves at a Men's Leadership retreat. After that, Mat spent some quality time with Bob Proctor (The Secret) to become a Life Success consultant and Law of Attraction presenter (more on this later).

On a personal level, I packed up my boxes and moved up north to Washington state. The change-up absolutely rocked me. As in (and I'll borrow a line Mat and I heard more than twelve times at Men's Leadership): I WAS LIKE A SCARED LITTLE BOY.

For two weeks straight, the process of going through my things and facing ten hundred little-decisions-that-appear-to-be-huge-decisions (like, whether or not to toss the collection of iron-on decal t-shirts I so very much treasure...) tormented me into a "don't call me, I'm le'depressed" attitude. I made Mat's life hell (running a partnership with someone who doesn't want any more decisions, never mind communication, is rough). I was a scared, ungrounded little boy. And so I kept the iron-on decal t-shirts. All twelve of them. So there.

But now that I'm finally moved and unpacked and absolutely loving my decision to create a new home, I look back at those two weeks of self-torment and (a) laugh at myself, and (b) take a moment to reflect on lessons learned. One of the insights I found may help to serve you in your interpersonal relationships -- including the one with yourself -- today:

We are all wildly dynamic Beings...act accordingly.

My 30th birthday was in March and it capped off a winter of dramatic spiritual upheaval for me. During that transformational period of four or five months, I entered into new relationships with new friends (and love interests) which reflected my...oh, we'll call it "spiritual courageousness". Essentially, I was more daring with my authenticity, more lovingly, outwardly focused than usual (it was at this time that I met Nathan Turner on the streets). For those new friends coming into my life, the snapshot of me was a grounded, peaceful Jason.

Enter Hurricane...um, Trevor.

You know what they say about first impressions, right? Hard to forget. But if these new friends would have seen me during my two weeks of "like a scared little boy" packing madness and t-shirt decision-time sadness, they would have had a hard time reconciling the "change" they witnessed in me. I did not match the snapshot they'd taken of me prior; I simply was not me.

Enter Compassion.

My beautiful new friends continued to love me, despite my altered, less enjoyable personality, and for this I feel grateful. They exemplified the kind of compassion Mat and I saw so many times in our couples who'd not only gone the distance, but gone the distance enjoying one another's presence. As we say in our workshop, the Marriage Masters continually give each other a soft place to fall. How good does it feel to know that no matter how challenging my personality may become, I am loved by the people who choose to see the Truth within me at all times? Incredible.

It's my prayer for you, wildly dynamic person, that you are creating and maintaining each of your relationships with unflinching compassion. It's time to check in...to observe how you handle change in your relationships...and decide whether or not your attitude and behavior are serving you in your quest towards true love.

Have you ever heard the saying "A woman will choose a husband thinking she can change him; a man will choose a wife thinking she'll never change"? Have you noticed how true that is in the folks around you? Better yet, have you noticed how that may be playing out in your interpersonal relationships? Are you allowing your mate to grow and expand his/her creative expression...or are you resenting him/her for not being the person you first met and fell in love with? And, finally, are you giving yourself permission to shed old skin, old beliefs about your role and place in the world and in your relationships with others...

The question is: are you being Present in your relationships? When we get grounded and look at our mates in the present, we do not compare them to yesterday's version and ask, "Why can't he/she be like that again?" Or, "How can I change him/her back?" Rather, we ask, "How does God see him/her?" Then: "How can I see him/her like God does? How can I show understanding for where he/she is at right now?"

And remember: we are wildly dynamic beings. Change is absolutely a good thing, even if it means losing the [insert your attachment here; iron-on decal t-shirt collection, for instance]. Because look, let's face it, a marriage that lasts 40+ years isn't inherently pleasurable -- Mat and I witnessed this more than once, unfortunately. Forty years of stasis in any activity is a good prescription for...eh...death(?). A passionate marriage is the union of two passionate beings who both commit to compassionately supporting one another's growth and change. The Ruth and Eddie Elcotts (click here to watch their segment from our documentary film) of the world are lifelong mates who remain madly in love because they're growth-oriented individuals who commit to expressing themselves as authentically as possible -- and change is the truest form of authenticity I know of! And, sure, sometimes they piss each other off (all the time, actually), but at the end of the day Eddie looks at Ruth and sees her light shining brighter than ever, and realizes that she is annoying, yes, but bea. Meanwhile, Ruth looks back at Eddie and can't help but shake her head and say, "Divorce? Never. Murder? Often. But I can't get enough of you and I love you back."

So before you run off to do your own spring cleaning (or at least become okay with the idea of spring cleaning and change), check out this insight from Victor Frankl:

"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."

May your relationships flourish due to your loving embrace of change and growth. Be well, my friend!

With love and gratitude,

Jason Miller
Co-Author and Producer of Project Everlasting
Projecteverlasting.com

Ruth & Eddie Elcott, from the documentary film and Chapter 2 of Project Everlasting: How do you keep from driving each other nuts?

The Bachelor Pad Radio found a critter

Get in on the action at thebachelorpadradio.com

The Bachelor Pad Radio's 2nd Episode

C'mon by The Pad and listen to relationship secrets from the mancave, hosted by yours truly, Mat & Jason. It's hosted on Voice America, so click on the link above to go to our B Pad blog and find the link in the upper right which will take you to our radio player.

You can download any shows you want from the archive, or listen live on Thursdays at 2pm, PST. If you subscribe to the show via RSS, then they will keep you posted on upcoming shows. Tomorrow's episode is Today's Top 10: What Men Really, Truly Want.

Sure to make you laugh. :)

Wow...Updates! [Love Notes 1/28]

Where do I begin? I feel an urge to list and so, I shall list:

All of the Exciting Things Going On In the World of Project Everlasting

1. The Bachelor Pad
Wanna know what men have to say about love, relationships, and women? I mean, what they really say? So do we! That's why we're gearing up to launch our very own radio show on VoiceAmerica, the #1 rated Internet Radio network in the world (5 million hits a month on their websites!), this March. Yes, it's called "The Bachelor Pad", and it's going to be highly entertaining...and, dare I say, meaningful (?) for men who want MORE in their love lives and women who want some answers to the age-old question: What the heck is he THINKING?! ...hehe, who? Me?

ATTENTION Business Owners: If you want to get your message out to a worldwide audience via The Bachelor Pad, we still have some sponsor and advertiser slots available to you at ground-level rates (i.e., affordable!). Get your audio or video commercial, web banners, or even product placements (envision: Mat and I = Wayne and Garth) on a really fun, unique show -- contact me real quick with a few details about your business and I'll send you an info deck: Jason Miller by email -- devoted(at)projecteverlasting.com

2. Project Everlasting Book Clubs and Movie Nights

We hear about groups all around the country using Project Everlasting in their book clubs and group movie nights, so Mat and I decided to drop in unannounced on one here in Portland, Oregon, just to see if they'd been inspired by what they read and watched...a resounding yup! So inspired, in fact, that they fed us apple cobbler and herbal tea (any flavor you want, Jason!) right there on the spot. They'd just sat down to watch the PE documentary film as we knocked on the door, and this is how one of the women described our surprise appearance in a letter to us:

"Looking out the window and seeing two young men walk up the drive way. I didn't recognize you but I felt safe opening the door because all of the other women were here for protection in case it was needed. So I opened it and you said "We heard that you have ladies meeting here." "Yes" ... I didn't recognize you...Duh!! "For a book club...." OH MY! Lighting struck my brain and started it working and it was THEM!!! WOW!! How did you know where we were???!!! And in you came and excitement hit!!!"

Besides the dessert and beverages, what was most exciting to Mat and me was the conversation that the book and film had obviously inspired (and, it seems, sometimes provoked) within the group of women themselves, but also with their special someones back home. What a rewarding feeling for us to hear how the Marriage Masters' stories and wisdom had inspired so much growth in their relationships!

So, if you're using the PE book or film in a group setting and you'd like to share the conversations, feelings, and growths that you've collectively experienced, please email me with a note plus a picture of your group with the book and/or film, and I will post them to our blog. This kind of thing really helps us to remember that our work has meaning for people, especially in the middle of those long, exhausting road trips to speak all over the country!

3. Speaking of Speaking
Mat and I are going to be all over the place this winter and spring! Come catch one of our workshops, signings, and/or talks If you are near any of these cities:

Honolulu (I'm doing signings at Deepak Chopra's event next Monday, 1/28), Los Angeles (Mat's speaking at Miracle Mastery conference this weekend), Sacramento, San Diego, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Portland

Take a peek at www.projecteverlasting.com/upcoming_appearances.html to get more details.

Also, to update you on the "Living the Life" TV segment we put together for CBN on the ABC Family cable network, it will officially air on February 14th (appropriate?). Again, check the "Upcoming Appearances" page on our site for air time details.

4. Early Notice for The Dream Launchers Seminar

People have been asking us for quite a while now, "How did you make this crazy project happen? What'd you learn? How'd you get media attention? How'd you get a literary agent? How'd you get a publishing deal? A TV deal? And, most of all, how in the heck did you stay committed for 4+ years (before you saw a dime in return!)?"

Well, we've listened, and we've answered...we're putting together an awesome, one day event called The Dream Launchers Seminar right here in Portland, Oregon, later this spring. More details to come, but we're looking at May.

5. The University of Love Sorority Series

All right, and finally, we've just launched an exciting new speaking series for universities and sororities across the country. We've been talking about doing this for a long time, so it's nice to see it finally get off our minds and into reality. To learn more about how you can bring us to your college, visit: www.projecteverlasting.com/sororityseries.html

***

And that's it for now...I've gotta go lick some envelopes. Or...ok, ONE more:

6. Writing Our Next Book

Mat and I are heading off to a self-titled "Mt. Bachelor Writer's Conference" this spring, which is really nothing more than a quaint little mountain cabin in Oregon where we finally sit down to get serious about a book that has been both on our minds and on the page since...well, since the beginning of our project in 2003. We'd originally thought it would be awesome to model what our mentor, Mark Victor Hansen, did with his fiction/non-fiction combination "The One Minute Millionaire".

After a year of toying with the fictional story (based on true events that inspired our Project Everlasting mission), and creating an outline, and trying desperately to make it work with the non-fiction material we'd been collecting from Marriage Master interviews, we finally looked at each other and said: "Dude, we're in over our heads here...let's simplify this before we turn 30 and we don't have any thing to show to a publisher." (Mat and I just made the cut-off!)

So, we're going back to the story we've been dying to tell. If you think you'd like a Gen-Y version of Mitch Albom, you're going to love this novel!

***

Ok, seriously. I need to go brush my teeth...thanks for being with me today. I'm out!

With love & gratitude,
Jason Miller
Co-Author/Producer of Project Everlasting: Two Bachelors Discover the Secrets of America's Greatest Marriages

* PS * We've made it super-easy for you to own a signed copy of the bestselling book + the documentary film at a low, low price of $34.95 (+SH)! Get the Project Everlasting Love Package today so you can be ahead of the game for Valentine's Day!

To Own the Everlasting Love Package (autographed book + film), Click Here:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/netcart.asp?MerchantID=85711&ProductID=3746491
To Own the Book, Click Here:
http://www.projecteverlasting.com/buy_book.html
To Own the Documentary Film, Click Here:
http://www.projecteverlasting.com/about_film.html

Love Notes: Oprah & Living the Life

So many exciting things are happening lately, not only with our project, but in our personal lives as well. It’s tough to stay focused in these Love Notes because I want to share everything at once!

Today, however, I'm going to keep it tight and share just two highlights...

1. "LIVING THE LIFE"
Mat and I were asked to produce a segment for a great morning show called "Living the Life", which will air in January on the ABC Family channel, I think (specific details to come). In the middle of shooting a scene in a park yesterday, some comrades came by to talk love, marriage, and Santa Claus with Mat. Check it out:


(If you do not see the video player, please copy and paste this into your browser: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5286734497388050695&hl=en )

2. THE OPRAH VISION
I want to share with you, a vision I received in prayer/meditation about a month ago…




Mat and I were backstage with Oprah, holding hands tightly as we set our intention to give her global audience a message their hearts would never forget.

As God showed me this image, I began to weep, telling me that this is indeed going to happen, and I believe as soon as this upcoming spring (08).

What would the show look like? Here's an idea: Recently, Oprah examined how divorce affected young children in recently broken home. If you didn’t see it, you missed a depressing experience. Take that premise and flip it so that the focus is on the positive outcomes, and you’ll understand the show we’re proposing to Harpo Productions. We like a show that explores all of the positive actions America’s children of divorce are taking to proactively reinstate their intrinsic belief in lifelong love and healthy, fulfilling matrimony. I think you’d agree that Mat Boggs took lemons and turned them into lemonade when he decided to start interviewing married couples who'd not only “made it”, but thrived in their lifelong love. The cool thing about this is that Mat isn’t the only one out there in the world who has been fueled by a parents’ divorce to go out and proactively help himself AND others to believe in love and marriage again—I’m excited to be inspired by these heartwarming, “lemons to lemonade” successes! Do you feel the energy behind this show?

I tell you all of this because Mat and I would like everyone who supports this mission to hold the same intention, to visualize our Oprah segment touching people’s hearts in the same way Mat’s grandparents’ love story did for him, so that people once again believe in their heart of hearts that everlasting love is indeed possible.

Along with your prayers, we ask you to perform these 3 steps:

1. Email us your endorsement or testimonial, explaining to a Harpo producer why you believe this story needs to be on Oprah. To protect against spam, I won't post our emails here, but you can find them on our website here: www.projecteverlasting.com

2. Ask at least three of your friends to do the same thing. You may forward this Love Notes out to all of your email contacts if that will help (I would never limit you to three people!).

3. Visit Oprah’s message boards and post a note explaining how Project Everlasting has touched your life: http://www.oprah.com/community/index.jspa


Below, I’m sharing a letter we’re including in a package to Harpo Productions in Chicago this month. At the bottom of this letter, we’ll include endorsements from all of our believers, including you.

Letter to Oprah...

Dear Harpo Producers & Oprah,

Twelve-thousand miles across thirty-five states, from coast to coast, interviewing three hundred couples happily married at least forty years, capturing over five hundred hours of America’s Marriage Master wisdom and stories of love, compassion, respect, and commitment. What would inspire two twenty-something bachelors to take on such a mission? One simple image: Two elderly hands clasped together tightly.



Mathew Boggs, who’d begrudgingly agreed to chaperone his grandparents around Oregon one autumn in 2002, was accustomed to it by then. After all, Jack and Dorothy Manin had been walking hand-in-hand like this for more than 63 years. But something in the way their frail hands fit together in that moment struck Mathew’s heart in a way that he’d never forget. His jaded paradigms of love and marriage, plagued by haunting memories of his parents’ divorce, were shattered just as quickly as they’d been created, and seeing his grandparents’ embraced hands as they shuffled slowly up the sidewalk inspired him to remember an inherent belief that he’d almost completely abandoned…the belief that true, everlasting love is indeed possible. Lifelong love was no longer just the fairytale in movies and children’s books; it was real, as real as the couple walking together in front of him. He’d found a true source of Hope.

It’s that hope which birthed the vision for a book called Project Everlasting, a marriage manual written by two bachelors who probably had the most to learn about successful relationships. Mathew (aka Mat) asked me, Jason Miller, to be a part of this mission because we’d been best friends since third grade, and, perhaps, also because I was the kid getting A’s in English class! We set out to interview and document married folks from all walks of life, focusing on two central themes: 1. To discover what it takes to create a great marriage, and 2. To discover why a great marriage is worth all the commitment, the patience, the forgiveness, the sacrifice, the compassion, the tolerance…the great effort. As people began to experience our work via the promotional videos and the stories we shared on stage and local media, we realized that our mission was striking a chord in people’s hearts: people do want to believe that lifelong love is possible again! Before the book hit the bookshelves, we formed our core mission statement: We are dedicated to increasing love in the world, one heart at a time.

Based on feedback from people who’ve read the book and/or watched our documentary film, we strongly believe that we’ve succeeded in putting a message out into the world that has a ton of wisdom, a ton of inspiration, and a ton of heart. Because of this conviction, we also believe that we are prepared to share with your viewers the most authentic, most passionate television interview of which we’ve ever been a part. In a recent meditation, I was awed by a very clear vision of Mat, Oprah, and myself in prayer together backstage with the production staff before the show’s taping, holding it in our hearts and minds to create a show that resonates so deeply with people that they too are inspired to remember an inherent belief that had somehow slipped away as relationships came and went…the belief that true, everlasting love is indeed possible.

And so we write you today to ask you for your support in making this vision a reality: Will you please help us by doing everything in your power to give us the opportunity to share our mission with your audience?

We wouldn’t ask you if we didn’t believe we could give your viewers a segment they won’t soon forget, and so to help solidify your faith in our ability to present this material with great professionalism, clarity, and authenticity, we’ve asked some of our believers to share why Project Everlasting should be on Oprah:

[[[ YOUR WORDS WILL GO HERE ]]]

Thank you for holding this vision with me.

With love & gratitude,

Jason Miller
Co-Author/Producer of Project Everlasting: Two Bachelors Discover the Secrets of America's Greatest Marriages

* PS * Don’t forget that we have officially launched our 4-week church series called Project Everlasting L.O.V.E. Essentially, Mat has developed four great sermons for your minister to present in the month of February. It’s entertaining, it's inspirational, and—best of all—it's FREE! We’re still fixing up the videos, but you can take a sneak peek at www.projecteverlasting.com/churchseries.html You can help us get this message into the world by notifying your local churches and ministers of the site, too.

To Own the Book, Click Here:
http://www.projecteverlasting.com/buy_book.html

To Own the Documentary Film, Click Here:
http://www.projecteverlasting.com/about_film.html

To Get the Everlasting Love Package (autographed book + film) at a special rate, Click Here:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/netcart.asp?MerchantID=85711&ProductID=3746491

Love Notes 8/31/07

***If you're a Love Notes subscriber and you didn't see this email, it's probably in your junk box. To avoid that in the future, add lovenotes@projecteverlasting.com to your address book.***


Just a real quick one today to give you an opportunity to hear one of our radio show interviews. A few months ago, we did an interview with a very postive woman named Dr. Beth Erickson. If you'd like to take a listen, she's offering it at no cost for a little bit longer and then it will be archived.

To listen to our interview with Dr. Beth Erickson entitled “Project Everlasting,” all you have to do is go online and search for www.healthylife.net  Near the top right, there is an oval entitled archive. Click on that twice. The archive page opens so you can scroll down the right side until you find Dr. Beth Erickson, under the Inspiration and Motivation heading. Double click on her name, and then double click on our show, and it will automatically start to play.

We would love to hear your responses to the interview, so email us your thoughts after you have had a chance to listen and copy (cc:) drbetherickson@aol.com if you would please.

With love and gratitude,

Jason Miller
Co-Author of Project Everlasting: Two Bachelors Discover the Secrets of America's Greatest Marriages.

To Support Our Mission and Own the Book, Click Here: http://www.projecteverlasting.com/buy_book.html

To Support Our Mission and Own the Documentary Film, Click Here: http://www.projecteverlasting.com/about_film.html

To Support Our Mission and Own both at a Great Discount and w/ Autographs, Click Here:

Project Everlasting Love Package

Newsletter: Love Notes 8/4/07

Subject: Love Notes newsletter 8/4/07

First, I want to give you a few updates on where we're at (mentally, emotionally) and where we'll be (physically) in August and early September so you can come see us and say hello. Then I'd like to ask for your creative input on our new Project Everlasting Wedding Package we're putting together.

Where we're at...

Mat and I are finally getting a bit more settled in the new routine of traveling and speaking every other weekend. It seems that every quarter of a year we'll completely change up our lifestyle as Project Everlasting progresses from research to writing to promoting to speaking. If you haven't guessed, the constant transition is exhausting in and of itself, let alone the incredible volume of work that was needed within each of those stages! That said, the exhilaration of now being able to share our message with hundreds and thousands of people at one time makes it all justified and worthwhile. We feel like we're living on purpose.

It's kind of cool to look upon our Project Everlasting vision board, which we created two years ago complete with mock book covers and imagery representing our mission and its success, and realize that many of our biggest goals are being actualized in this moment. On the vision board we also posted four word right in the middle of it all--sort of like pillars of character--that we chose our organization to be based on. I'll share those with you today: Joyful, Generosity, Courage, Integrity. The way we figured, no matter how critically and/or financially successful our book, film, etc. were going to be, we would feel like we were on the right path as long as we were in tune with those four pillars of character. So, the question to you is...Do you feel like we're living up to our vision? How can we do better?

Where we'll be...

Los Angeles

* August 11th and 12th. We will be in Los Angeles for two events. One is the Los Angeles Bride World Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. (Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015, (800) 600-7080 Show Times: 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.). We're manning a booth, baking cookies, chatting with newly engaged couples, and, hopefully, getting our book and film's messages into their hearts as they set out on their own *Project Everlasting* marriages.

* August 12th. We're cutting out of the Bride Expo to join Dr. Emoto (Messages in Water) at his Anniversary Event south of Los Angeles in Torrance, California. There is a ticket fee, so I'll direct you directly to the event flier from www.hado.net : https://www.hado.net/img/products/hado%20seminar%20august-eng.pdf Again, we'll have a booth set up for you to come and get your book and documentary film signed.

Denver

* August 25th. We'll be doing a little presentation and signing at Sonny's Jewelry, 100 Fillmore Street, Suite 120, Denver, CO 80206. I'm sure a couple of the Marriage Masters from our book will be joining us there as well so come on down!

* August 26th. Come join us for our talk "Making Love Real" at the Unity of Denver church at 3021 South University Blvd, Denver, CO., 303-758-5664. Church service is at 10am.

All along the West Coast!

This is where you can help us make an event happen in early-September. Around the 7th, we were planning on driving down from Portland to our buddy Brendon Burchard's event in San Francisco and our very good friend Leslie's wedding in Newport. So, we figured: as long as we're making a road trip out of this...(yikes, look where that line has gotten us before!)...let's see if anybody would like to have us come speak for their corporation, church, or other organization! Contact Mat directly if you'd like more info regarding our itinerary: mathew@projecteverlasting.com

The Project Everlasting Wedding Package



As most of you know, we have a goal to get our book and film into the hands of every newlywed couples' hands so that they will have the insight and inspiration to make their relationship flourish for a lifetime. On that note, we've recently decided to create a Wedding Package that includes both the book and film, of course, but also...??? Something else. We figured you might have a few creative ideas for items we can insert into this wedding gift box: special candles, personalized card, magic markers, pet squirrels...(you see where my mind starts heading). We're guys through and through, and we have to admit our lack of wedding gift expertise. Please send us your ideas for additional products that would fit well with our message...maybe you even have your own product you'd like to include, who knows?

Sorry for kind of being long winded. If you read all the way down here to the bottom, then...well, I love you. I hope to hear some of your great ideas soon!


With love and gratitude,

Jason Miller

Co-Author of Project Everlasting: Two Bachelors Discover the Secrets of America's Greatest Marriages.

p.s. If you are a subscriber to our Project Everlasting Love Notes, and you haven't seen this message from me yet, then our emails are probably getting blocked by your spam filter. Check your junkbox and label our lovenotes@projecteverlasting.com as "Not Spam" to ensure delivery for next time.

To own the book, click here: projecteverlasting.com/buy_book.html

To own the film, click here: projecteverlasting.com/buy_film.html

Project Everlasting Book Tour Vlogs

Project Everlasting Book Tour Vlogs

Project Everlasting Book Tour Vlogs

Project Everlasting Book Tour Vlogs

Project Everlasting Book Tour Vlogs

Project Everlasting Book Tour Vlogs