Just One More Time

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a beautiful new day begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast! 

O.K. Friends, this Happy Friday is going to be emotional & sappy because, well, I am feeling emotional & sappy! Consider yourselves warned! :)

Yesterday was my Moms birthday. She celebrated in Heaven; we celebrated here on earth. I don't know for sure why this birthday was so tough for me, it was not the first since she went to Heaven, but it was.

When you were a little kid did you ever have a time when you were homesick and when you heard your Moms voice you just lost it? O.K., maybe it was only me. I remember one time, I must have been 9 or 10-years old, and I was staying the night at a friends house. I got homesick and so my friends Mom was letting me call my Mom. I remember holding it together, feeling the emotions welling up inside, until I heard my Moms sweet voice on the other end of the line at which point I completely lost it and went into full on meltdown. Yes, I was a "Momma's Boy" and I am completely fine with that...honored actually with the Mom I was blessed to have.

Wednesday night I came home from work, emotions welling up within me on the eve of my Moms birthday. I sat in a chair and asked my Beautiful Bride to come over to me. I held her in a long hug. She pulled away and started walking away saying in a sweet voice, "what are you doing?" I tapped her on the shoulder, she turned to me and I tried to say, "I miss my Mom." Please notice the emphasis on "tried." After "I" it was pretty much a blubbery mess lost in my tears. Remember when as a kid you would cry and couldn't catch your breath? Yeah, I had that kinda cry. And my Sweet Girl just held me and we talked about the great Mom God blessed me with.

Here is the thing; you know what I miss the most? My Moms voice. I was very blessed that my Mom established, and taught me, that we would fight for our relationship every day of our lives. With this, another great blessing she left me, I am not filled with regret. I don't have the "I wish I had told her" or "I wish I hadn't said" or "I wish she knew." Because of the loving relationship my Mom taught, modeled and yes, sometimes forced, I am free from those things. I just want to hear her voice one more time. The only opportunity I have for that now is a voicemail that she left me on November 11, 2014 that lasts 21 seconds. 

On this Friday I want to encourage you to reach out to the people in your lives, maybe it is a Mom or Dad, son or daughter, and do what you can to mend those fences, to talk to them. I don't want to be over-dramatic or a downer however the reality is we won't all be here forever. We don't know when their time, or our time, will end. Reach out and talk to them while you can still hear their voice for there will come a day that perhaps all you will have left is a voicemail...if you are lucky.

And yes, I am very aware of difficult relationships and hurting people hurting people. Let me share here for a moment. My Dad and I did not have a great relationship for most of our journey together. I know psychological & physical abuse. I know rejection. I know being told that you are not good enough...at anything. And I also know love, mercy, grace & forgiveness. You see, my Dad and I at one point went nearly 7 years without even talking...not something I am proud of, just a part of our journey. One day I got a conviction in my spirit to reach out to him so I did. We met for breakfast which led to some awkward moments (actual conversation; Me - "That is a really nice car Dad, when did you get it?" Dad - "Oh, about 4 years ago." Silence..."let's go eat!") but it also led to the restoring of a relationship that grew to the fullness it was capable of achieving. Please note, it was I, the son, who had to reach out to the Dad. Wasn't how I thought it was supposed to be however it was how it worked. You see, when I finally got over myself, my expectations, my anger, all the negativity that I was holding onto, I was able to love him for who he was and we were able to have a relationship. And this led to another great blessing; as with my Mom, I am not left with regrets about my Dad. No, I don't miss his voice but I am grateful for the relationship we were able to achieve and that I was able to see, one time in my life, my Dad at complete peace - a blessing I would have missed if the relationship would have not been restored. Hard? Yes. Awkward at times? Yes. Exactly what I thought it would be? Hardly. Worth it? Without question!!!

So there is my heart on this Friday, Friends! I pray for you to have the strength & courage to do whatever your spirit convicts you to do as you read this message. To talk to whoever it is that someday you would like to hear their voice just one more time...

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