Mark
Edgington’s
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But here’s what no one tells you until it’s too late: Shortcuts always come with a cost. And the bill shows up eventually. The Cost of Cutting Corners When I was younger, I didn’t want to hear about discipline. I wanted results. Recognition. Relief. I wanted to feel like I mattered right now , not in some far-off future where I had to earn things. And like a lot of young men with something to prove and something to hide, I made choices that seemed like solutions at the moment

Last week, my mom’s friend went to the hospital due to a heart condition, and her little dog Shotzi was left by himself. This is the kind of dog that is used to getting love from a lady who has nothing else to do but give him her undivided attention. So, he was pretty sad, as you can see in this picture. I decided to spend parts of my days with him while she was gone. I fed him, walked him, and just sat with him while he mourned the absence of his favorite human. During the f

There are a few Honduran families I’m close with who work near the coral restoration site. I see them when I visit, and consider them a part of my own family. I’m happy to announce that two of those families have just welcomed newborns! Aren’t they adorable? I remember when my son was born, and how much familial support meant to me and my wife during those first couple of months especially. Welcoming a new baby is exciting, exhausting, and full of unknowns. One thing that al

I’ve always believed that if you have something useful — tools, time, knowledge, a boat — you ought to share it. That belief is what led me to support a coral restoration effort in Honduras, not as a marine biologist or environmental expert, but as someone who happened to have the right gear, and the desire to help people doing good work. Sometimes your role in a cause isn’t to lead or speak or stand out. Sometimes it’s just to make it possible for others to do what they’re g

When people talk about turning points, they usually picture big moments. Headlines, handshakes, contracts. But in my experience, the things that truly shape a life are much smaller. The time you chose to listen instead of argue. The time you didn’t lie, when lying would’ve been easy. The phone call you returned. The small, steady habits that built or broke your character while no one was watching. I’ve experienced legal consequences that altered the entire course of my future

At 17 years old I made a terrible mistake. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and because of that, I spent my twenties behind bars. Formative years most people spend building careers, relationships, and families. I spent mine learning how to live with myself. Prison has a way of stripping a person down to the studs. There’s nowhere to hide from who you are. And what I found in that place was not a sense of victim-hood, but a persistent urge to become someone better.

I didn’t grow up with a deep understanding of service. I used to think giving meant handing over a check or offering advice. But after prison, when I had almost nothing, I learned the truth: the most meaningful service often comes from giving your time, your energy, your presence…especially when there’s no credit involved. Finding ways to serve, no matter how small, gave me something I hadn’t felt in a long time: a sense that I was useful again. When you’ve done damage, there

Some of the most important work I’ve done in my life happened while I was still behind bars. It wasn’t part of my sentence. It wasn’t something I had to do. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and someone asked me if I had something to say. I did. And that one moment turned into something bigger; something I now look back on as one of the only redemptive things I had to offer at the time. Speaking From Inside Operation Turnaround was a prison program

Life doesn’t judge us by the past. It responds to the choices we make today. I’ve faced moments in my life where my actions had serious consequences for others. Those experiences taught me a clear lesson: your past does not define your future, but the way you show up now does. Facing the Facts At times, I made mistakes that hurt people and broke trust. There was no shortcut or easy fix. Owning the facts of what happened and understanding their impact became the first step in

Volunteer firefighting is often a quiet, unheralded service. From around 2008 to 2020, I was proud to serve as a volunteer firefighter with the Westmoreland Volunteer Fire Department in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. It’s a community-driven role that many don’t know much about, but it became an essential part of my life. In my uniform Here’s how it all started… One day, on my way to work, I stopped for a milkshake to “settle my nerves.” Suddenly, a man pulled up, asking if I co

Life’s challenges don’t care about our past; they test us by our actions today. This principle has guided me through difficult times. While we cannot change our history, we can shape our future through our choices and deeds. For many, the weight of past mistakes can feel like an anchor, dragging us down and keeping us from moving forward. But from my experience, I’ve learned that focusing on who you were only keeps you stuck. Instead, what matters is showing up with humility,

In a remote village in Uganda called Kagoma, where poverty is the daily reality and opportunities are scarce, something remarkable is taking shape. What started as a small local mission to care for vulnerable children has grown into a lifeline for hundreds. It’s a story of community, resilience, and the power of investing in dignity and self-reliance. Children outside of Foundation of Hope, sharing a meal A Mission Rooted in Community I first learned about Kagoma through Ndif