Friends

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as new opportunities, hope & promise arrive with the dawning of this new day! 

The last few days I have been thinking a lot about friends. The people we have the privilege of doing life with, who make the moments more enjoyable, who you genuinely look forward to seeing. I think of these people with deep gratitude & appreciation...

This evening, somewhere between 6:40 - 6:55 p.m., the Haslam family will arrive at the baseball field at Clear Creek High School. Tonight will be our last regular season game and it has serious implications - win and we are in the play-offs; lose and we might be...at best. As soon as I get there I will go shake Dave, Roland & Joe's hands. I will say "Hi" to Dawn, Lynn, Brandy, Theresa...and others whose names I don't know as well. We will all then sit in some configuration - always close to Dave, Roland & Joe - and we will spend the next 2+ hours watching our sons pursue their dreams. We will talk, laugh, discuss the last play, laugh, discuss whether it was a ball or strike, laugh, talk, laugh, discuss whether the player was out or safe, laugh...you get the idea.

These are some of my friends and I truly value & cherish each one. I genuinely look forward to seeing them tonight, to hearing about their last couple of days, to hear about what is going on in their families, to enjoy a ballgame together and to share (several) laughs. While my family is my greatest calling and purpose, I would offer that it is our friends that make the moments more special, more memorable...they are the seasoning if you will. 

As I reflect on my life I am awed by the blessing of so many special people that God has brought into my life. Some are still in my life, some were only in my life for a season and some I am pretty sure are trying to get away from me but I keep trackin' em down! :) Think back to different seasons of your life and you probably won't remember the score, the record, the grade, etc. but you will remember the people who walked that leg of your journey with you. It's the relationships that give meaning, add value and make the moments unforgettable. People are special, relationships are what is truly significant...we would be wise to honor & cherish them!

I want to share just a few thoughts:
1. Please cherish the people around you. You are going to go to work, to the store, perhaps you too will go to a ballgame today. There will be people around you. No, they are not going to be exactly like you, think like you, dress like you, act like you, etc. Yes, they have struggles, challenges, problems, etc. All this is o.k. Just look at them and value them for who they are. Some will talk to you and some won't...remember, you don't control their actions, just your own. We can still say hi, smile and engage them at whatever level they will allow us to engage them. Some will talk to you, tell you about their families, allow you to become a part of their story...these are great blessings and should be treated as such. Others will keep you at arms length, not allowing you to become a part of their story...these too are blessings as they give you the opportunity to tell them about who you are and what you believe, by the way you act, speak and how you treat them. Perhaps you are the messenger that God will use to let them know that all people aren't bad, that there really are kind, considerate people in this world, that there is hope...you might be the ray of light in their dark world. Regardless of how others think, act & respond, you & I have a choice. We can choose to recognize people, value them, to be kind to them, to treat them with dignity & respect...I pray we will.

2. This whole thing about staying in touch with friends after a season of life has passed is very interesting to me. Being in college coaching for so long, there have been a lot of goodbye's to people - coaches, players, friends in the community - who Kathy and I valued, and still value, greatly. What we have found is we can stay in touch with these friends if we intentionally choose to do so. I can reach back over 30+ years and tell you of friends I am still in touch with today because I have intentionally chosen to stay in touch with them. Yes, we all go through busy seasons of life however at some point we will intentionally choose, or not, to reach out to them, to tell them we are thinking about them, to see how they are doing, perhaps to ask if there is anything we can do for them, anything we can be praying about for them. Just because a season of life has passed doesn't mean the friendship has to end...ultimately that will be up to you. AND right about now you might be thinking, "what about the other person Kev?!" My Beautiful Bride and I have talked about this one as well. Let's not get caught up in the "I called them last" game. Let's just follow our own hearts and when we think about them give them a call, shoot them a text, send an email. Again, we don't control how anyone else acts...we only control how we act. As many of my friends have found out, they can ignore me, not call, text or email and I will keep on leaving messages and sending texts letting them know I am thinking about them and I believe in them. :)

Let me keep this real for a second. I am not going to sit here and pretend to be St. Kev. Does that get hard sometimes, when you are the only one reaching out, communicating?!?! Yeah, it does. What I have found is this is a good time for me to have a conversation with God. Usually I find if I will let go of the pride & judgement, I am good. I remind myself that it is not about me. Maybe it is God simply using me to encourage someone. Maybe they are at a point of struggle, of pain and they just need to hear a voice letting them know that someone is thinking of them, that someone believes in them. Ultimately, I have decided that I am going to answer the call of my own heart...when I think of them I will reach out, regardless of the response or lack there of. I find it really easy to sleep at night that way.

3. Finally, I just want to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone I have the honor & privilege of calling Friend. My family & I cherish each one of you and we are so grateful that God has allowed us to do this thing called life with you! 

Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time 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 week and please cherish you precious families.

Kev