I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this beautiful Saturday morning!
Oh goodness, here I am again writing a Happy Friday on a Saturday morning. I was so exhausted yesterday morning my oldest Tender Warrior, Payton, actually woke me up. That has happened...never! So now I am sitting here in my living room, Gameday on TV, my youngest Tender Warrior, Landry, and my sweet Beagle, Chloe, sitting next to me. Life is good Friends, life is good.
You may have heard this week about a precious little Kindergartner here in Texas who was running late to school. As he approached the door of the school he heard his classmates reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Though he was late, he immediately stopped, bowed his head and even said a prayer before going into school.
As I was driving to work this week, one of the radio announcers was sharing this story and she said something about it that was profound to me. After reading the story she said, "We stop for what is important to us." I have thought a lot about that statement this week. What are the things I stop for? What are the things you stop for?
There are a few different thoughts I have about this:
- We learn, we grow, our perspective changes. I am not trying to beat you or me up with this Happy Friday. I am sure there are things that you can reflect on and wish you had handled differently, just as I do. I believe the key for all of us is to listen to the conviction of our spirit and to respond accordingly. If something doesn't sit well deep in my heart, I need to adjust the way I handle it in the future. You & I are human, we are going to have failing moments. We do however have the opportunity to handle it differently in the future.
- Sometimes we don't realize what is happening/going on with others around us. I think this is more a reflection of our listening, understanding, empathy than it is a reflection of what is important to us. My Beautiful Bride and Tender Warriors are critically important to me. I will tell you now; I would drop anything in the world for them. I will also tell you there have been times I have absolutely blown it. Where I didn't realize what they were thinking, feeling, struggling with, etc. and therefore I didn't stop when they needed me. I have found that these times are a lot less when I am fully present. When I am fully present I more fully understand where they are at that moment and therefore, I can be & do what they need.
- As with anything in life really, we find out what we truly believe & value in the crucible of life. It still strikes me as so ironic; most of us spend the majority of our time trying avoid problems, challenges, struggles, etc. however it is at those times when we learn, grow & become all we are capable of becoming. As I thought about this statement over the course of this week, one event in Kath & I's life kept coming back to me over and over again...I want to share it with you now. I started my career as a college football coach. Like most coaches, I was consumed by my profession and those I was privileged to serve through it. Kath would often say she felt as though football, my team and my players were more important to me than she was. I tried to assure her this was not the case however those feelings persisted for her. She was pregnant with what would be our 2nd child. I will never forget the day we went for a check up with the doctor and he told us there was no longer a heartbeat...we had miscarried our 2nd child. The doctor explained that there was nothing to do now that eventually her body would reject the fetus. I was devastated by our loss and often wear a little ring on my right pinky to honor our little baby who I will not get to meet until I get to Heaven. At that time I was the Head Football Coach at Wayne State College. We were having a night practice a few nights later when one of the trainers came running up to me, stated that Kathy had called and that she was having problems. I alerted a couple of coaches as I was running out of the facility, sped home, picked up my Sweet Girl and drove her to the hospital. We spent that night alone together in our hospital room...I still cherish that time. It was a crucible - a moment of profound loss for us and at the same time a moment of profound clarity...I stopped for what mattered to me. Yes, I wanted to be a successful football coach and I cared deeply about my coaches & players. My priority however is my Beautiful Bride, and now my Tender Warriors. Kath has never told me she felt 2nd to anyone or anything since that night. And something I just realized...I ALWAYS tell everyone, my #1 priority is my wife & boys. I can accomplish everything worldly and if I fail them, I truly believe I have failed. I don't recall ever saying that prior to that night...I don't recall not having said it since that night.
I do agree; we stop for what is important to us. My hope, my prayer and my challenge for each of us this week is that we will recognize what is most important to us and that we will stop for those things. And, on the occasion that we stub our toe, that we will do what we can to make that situation right and then move forward - we gotta keep moving forward and not get trapped in the mire & muck! - towards those things that are most important to us.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
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