Blessed

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful Sunday dawns!

What a crazy week, er, life! This morning I am going to share a couple of things with ya'll, beginning with what the past week looks like. There are a whole lot of stories, lessons & reflections.

The past week actually begins a few weeks ago. I travel a lot for my job and I was sitting by myself having dinner at a restaurant in Salt Lake City, UT. As I sat there, I received a message from a friend. She stated that she and her husband wanted to dedicate their precious baby boy on Sunday, October 9th and they wanted to know if I would perform the dedication. I was floored - honored, humbled, filled with joy at their decision, etc. I quickly messaged her back thanking her for even thinking of me for such a great honor. I explained to her that October 9th is my middle Tender Warrior, Gehrig's, birthday. I further explained that I had a couple of days left in Utah and asked if I could wait until I get home so I could talk with my family about it. We would have to travel 8+ hours on Saturday, perform the dedication on Sunday morning, and then hop back in the car and drive 8+ hours back...on Gehrig's birthday. I also knew that on Monday I would have to leave for another week long trip.

Over the next couple of days I thought & prayed a lot about this precious babies dedication, the significance of it and the challenges it would bring for my family & I. When I got home I pulled all the family together. I explained what I had been asked, the significance of such a ceremony and asked them if they would be willing to go. Without any hesitation what so ever, every one of them immediately said yes. I can't begin to explain the pure joy, and amazement, that filled my heart. It was everything I had hoped & prayed for in the decisions they would make and it was simply awesome.

Lesson 1: I honored my family by letting them know that their thoughts, feelings & perspective mattered. Instead of telling them they were going to do something, I valued them and they in return responded as I had hoped & prayed they would. They realized that this moment was greater than them.

Lesson 1B: I can't honestly say I was shocked by Gehrig's reaction...he has an incredible heart & spirit. I can say that I was proud of him...that he is growing into the man I believe he is and he made a very selfless, mature decision. Praise the Lord.

So last Saturday morning, after running to the gym with Payton and getting in a heavy leg workout - he is chasing his dream of playing college football and I promised him we would get that workout in first - the Haslam's piled in the car and began our 8+ hour adventure.

Along the way we stopped in the middle of nowhere at a barbecue restaurant. Without a doubt the best barbecue we have ever had. The place was completely packed...and I am telling you, we were in the middle of nowhere! We did the same thing this past summer as we drove through Louisiana; we stopped in the middle of nowhere and had the best Cajun food!

Lesson 2: Give new things a try. My Beautiful Bride is still real uncomfortable with this however I am becoming a huge fan of finding a local restaurant along the way and eating there. We have met some of the sweetest, kindest people and we have had the best food...it is awesome.

My buddy works in college athletics so the plan was we would get to the hotel, change clothes really quick and then head over to their home game. After driving all day, we got to the hotel 30 minutes before kick off. We all quickly changed, headed to the stadium and just as we got there, heard the opening kickoff.

We made our way to the stadium and sat and visited with our friends that we had not seen in more than two years. It was wonderful to see them, to catch up on life, to talk about hopes & dreams and to finally meet their precious baby boy. Time flew...it was an awesome day.

Lesson 3: It really is true that with true friends, time doesn't matter. You can get together without seeing each other for great periods of time and pick up right where you left off. It isn't about time or even circumstances; it is about genuinely loving & caring about one another.

After a quick, late night dinner, the Haslam's headed to the hotel and collapsed. We were up early the next morning and headed to the location of the 9:30 a.m. dedication service. The location was absolutely beautiful, stunningly so. The weather was perfect, the grandparents were there, the godfather and the great, great grandparents were FaceTimed in and off we went with the dedication service. It was beautiful and went extremely well.

Lesson 4: Another reminder really; God doesn't call us to do things because we are qualified. He qualifies us once He calls us and we follow in obedience. I prayed that God would prepare my heart and everyone else's who would be in attendance. I prayed that He would give me the words to speak and the things to do. And He showed up in a powerful way. Praise the Lord.

After the service we quickly hoped back in the car for our 8+ hour journey home. The trip went incredibly well.

Lesson 5: I have talked about this before however I am going to advocate for it again. Please thoughtfully consider hoping in the car with your family and driving somewhere and, please, limit or eliminate the technology stuff. We had so many wonderful conversations - serious as well as funny - on our trip...it was incredible. Yes, it is tiring. Yes, we can all get on each others nerves. The funny thing is, as I sit here and type this I don't recall the bickering. I do recall the sweet conversations and moments.

So we get home on Sunday evening, I hustle out and mow the lawn. I then hustle in and pack for my 5 day, 4 night trip the next day. We all then fall asleep - a weird combination of exhausted & refreshed.

Monday morning we were all off to work & school. I had a quick meeting in the office and then I took off on a nearly 4 hour drive. I got to where I was headed 5 minutes before my meeting, went into my meeting - had a great meeting - and then headed to my hotel. The week was a blur of meetings and staying the night in hotels.

On Friday morning I got up, drove the 4 hours back and stopped by the house for lunch. My youngest Tender Warrior, Landry, had an early out on Friday. He and Kath then went with me to my office. I had to move offices so we spent the next 3+ hours doing this and I had the best helpers ever!

Lesson 6: We can do so much more than we think we can do. There is a Navy Seal motto that says something to the effect that we only do 40% of what we are truly capable of doing. Exhausted? Yes. Inspired? Absolutely.

Lesson 6B: Selfless service is something truly remarkable to see. You see, Kath & Landry didn't really want to move my office - I am sure both could think of tons of other things they could do on their free Friday afternoon - however they both simply wanted to be with me, they knew I had to move my office so they happily, genuinely so, went with me. And the best thing I did? I let them decide where things would go, how it would look, etc. Did everything go exactly where I would have put it? No. Did what they do look good and will it work? Absolutely! They blessed my life and we were all blessed by simply being together.

So you would think that yesterday things would slow down, maybe write Happy Friday, right?! Not so much! A group I had performed a training session for offered to let my two oldest boys and two of their friends play in a golf tournament the group was hosting. So we were up yesterday morning at 5:30 a.m., out the door at 6:45 a.m. and off to Galveston for the golf tournament. Landry rode with me as we were going down to see the group and to get the boys all set up for the tournament. Landry and I were there for about an hour and then we headed back home.

Landry & I love to go target shooting and I had promised him I would take him target shooting when we got back. We went to the house, changed shoes, grabbed our guns and out the door we went. We had a great time - he shot WAY better than his Dad! We could only stay for an hour because Landry had a soccer game. We piled back in the truck, ran home, quickly changed into his soccer uniform and then headed out to the game. Landry played very well though his team lost. After the game we run home, have lunch and take a quick nap.

I wake up from the nap, head outside and trim the bushes, trim the lawn and begin mowing the front lawn. As I am doing these things, I am thinking about Happy Friday, what I want to say this week. I am also thinking about a talk I have this evening. It is all very clear in my mind. I will get done mowing the lawn, write Happy Friday, write my notes for my talk and then take Kath & Landry to a sporting goods store we wanted to go to. It will be perfect.

As I just begin mowing the lawn, coming down between our house and our neighbors house, I see my neighbor standing their holding two cans of beer. Our neighbor is a very kind, sweet hearted elderly Vietnamese gentleman. As I get closer to him he holds out a can of beer for me. I shut off the lawnmower and he says, "You take a break." I open the beer and have a drink with him. I then tell him I have to get back to work. I start mowing the lawn and as I turn around, I see him sitting on the side of the driveway watching me. I go back and forth a few more times and then I call Landry over to me and ask him to go ask either Mom or Payton to bring a couple of lawn chairs out. I quickly finish mowing the lawn and then go sit down with my neighbor. Eventually Kathy, all 3 of my boys, 2 of their friends, the neighbor across the street and his 2 boys as well as a neighbor from down the street and her dog are all sitting in my driveway talking. We did this for nearly 3 hours. I guess Happy Friday, my notes and the trip to the sporting goods store would have to wait. 

Lesson 7: Though I had an exhausting week and there was a lot I wanted to get done, I knew the decision I had made was the right one. Two truths from all this craziness come to mind; 1) People are what matters most. Everything over the course of the past week was not the easiest, it was not the most convenient and it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do. The times with family & friends, the memories of the things we did together...those are the things that matter and what I will remember long after I am no longer physically tired. And those things are priceless. 2) The second true-ism is that we make time for the things that are important to us. Sure, we can make excuses and we can even present them in a manner that proves our point. The reality is we can, and will, make time for the people and things that are truly important to us. 

I have got to share one more lesson for you, illustrated in 3 examples.
1. Earlier this week something really big happened in my life. That event is not important, however what happened next is...significantly so. My Beautiful Bride, so sweet & supportive, put a post on Facebook about this event. And then tons of comments poured in...from family & friends, co-workers and former co-workers, from mentors and former bosses, from former coaches and former players. It was amazing, and perfect. As I told you, I was on the road. So I sat in my hotel room by myself, reading and responding to every single comment, sometimes laughing, sometimes with tears in my eyes and always with a great sense of gratitude for the love, encouragement & support others were pouring on me. I am truly blessed beyond measure!

2. There is a video on Facebook where teachers pick a student and they tell the student that he or she is why the teacher does what he or she does, that they are the reason that they get out of bed every morning and look forward to going to work. As you watch these students, some cry, some say thank you, all are stunned and all, in that moment, feel loved, valued & appreciated. The comments cross all race and gender lines. Just people truly valuing and appreciating each other.

3. There is another video on Facebook where someone is telling young girls and women "you are beautiful." Every single one then smiles, almost instantly, and some cry. Three simple words "you are beautiful" and the response is immediate. 

The Final Lesson: We all want to know that we are loved, valued & appreciated. It takes such little time to tell someone that we are happy for them, we believe in them, that they inspire us, that they are beautiful...simple expressions of love, value & appreciation. And yet the impact on the person is profound. I pray that each one of us will think about the significant difference we can make in anothers life be simply speaking life into them and, most importantly, that we will make the effort to do so.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.blogspot.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful Sunday & week and please cherish your precious families.

Kev