Happy Monday, everyone! Hope your weekend was filled with good things.

As announced in a post last week, this year I am doing “a year of Wooden” following the teachings of Coach John Wooden, and in particular his 7-Point Creed. I’m beginning the year with the Creed’s first item:

January: Drink deeply from good books.

This month, I’m going to focus on reading books by Wooden and about him, a new one each week. This past week I reread my dad’s wonderful new book Wooden & Me: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach & Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece.”

Rereading my dad’s book was the perfect way to start off this new year. Not only is the book a testament to John Wooden and a beautiful portrayal of his friendship with my father, it is in many ways a history of my family: from the early days of my parents’ marriage to the births of me and my brother to many milestones and memories we have shared as a family over the years. John Wooden’s teachings of love, kindness, balance, discipline, integrity, perseverance, and faith have been woven into the tapestry of my life since I was a baby. To be sure, I feel very fortunate for the loving and supportive family I have been blessed with!

For this next week, I’ll be reading Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, written by Coach Wooden with Steve Jamison. Here’s a little about the book:

In honest and telling passages about virtually every aspect of life, Coach shares his personal philosophy on family, achievement, success, and excellence. Raised on a small farm in south-central Indiana, he offers lessons and wisdom learned throughout his career at UCLA, and life as a dedicated husband, father, and teacher.