Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this beautiful Fall Sunday!
Last Saturday, October 3rd, I had a remarkable, so very blessed, experience. My 19-year old & 15-year old (at the time...he turned 16 on Friday!) Tender Warriors, Payton & Gehrig, and I took a road trip to Baton Rouge, LA to watch one of Payton's high school teammates play for Eastern Michigan against LSU in Death Valley. What a day!
The plan was we would leave around Noon. Well, the 48-year old kid was fired up and ready to go much earlier. I had already watched the start of Game Day on ESPN and by the time Payton & Gehrig woke up, I was ready to go. By around 9:30 a.m. we were off!
Excitement filled the car and our conversations as we began the first part of our trip. We talked about football, what Tiger Stadium was going to be like, what we were going to do, etc. We saw a car with Arizona license plates and the sticker from the same church we went to in a small town about 40 mils south of Phoenix. We all got excited and looked at the people in the car as we drove by...like we would know them or something! We didn't know them but they were wearing purple LSU shirts, no doubt headed to the same place we are going!
The trip was strange in that there was no arguing, picking on, etc. that has punctuated so many other trips. It was just 3 dudes enjoying each other, talking about life, excitedly looking forward to seeing an old friend and a football game in one of college footballs grand stadiums.
On this trip I learned that Payton is not really fond of bridges. This became hilarious when we came to the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge which is 18.2 miles long, the second-longest bridge in the US and fourteenth-longest in the world by total length. Payton's concerns quickly gave way to the wonders of the swamps below us. To 3 people who have spent the majority of their lives in Arizona, this was unreal.
I don't think I will ever forget seeing Tiger Stadium the first time, or the excitement that filled the car, as we reached the top of the last bridge heading into Baton Rouge. It was beautiful.
We drove straight to the hotel where Eastern Michigan was staying. We got to spend about 30 minutes with Payton's former high school teammate. We talked about school, life in Michigan, his family, etc. It was so good to see and spend some time with him.
The boys and I then headed over to LSU. What an absolutely beautiful campus! We found a place to park and then headed to find a place to eat. We found our way to the Student Center where they had a whole bunch of restaurants - not the Cajun food we had talked about eating all the way over but we were so hungry it didn't matter at the point. As we walked, people were tailgating everywhere. I quickly figured out, if there was not a sign on a piece of grass that read "No Tailgating" it was fair game. After getting something to eat we headed to the stadium. We walked around the stadium over to the team shop so Gehrig could buy some LSU gear. On the way we caught the Tiger Walk, just as Coach Miles and the Tigers were arriving. We then headed over to the exhibit that held Mike, the Bengal Tiger that is LSU's mascot. After taking some pictures I turned around to find a rope had been lifted behind me with another one about 10' away on the other side of the sidewalk. We quickly hurried to the other side of the rope and then waited...for what we did not know however something was certainly about to happen here. Within 5 minutes the Tiger Marching Band came through...what an experience!
We then decided it was time to head into the stadium. After finding our seats Gehrig and I went and got an Alligator Po Boy & Jambalaya...some Cajun cooking after all! Having worked for so long in college athletics it was really neat to just sit in the stands with two of my boys and just take in pregame, to enjoy it all. The pregame warm ups, the band, hearing the crowd sing "Louisiana Saturday Night" and "Callin' Baton Rouge"...it was just awesome!
The game was much more competitive than I think any of us expected. LSU was only winning by 8 at halftime and pulled away late to win it 44 - 22. Eastern Michigan had represented themselves well, forcing LSU to play their starters late into the 4th quarter. It was also neat to be sitting among the families & friends of all the Eastern Michigan players. I was reminded once again that we all really are the same...we want our kids to know we love them, that we are there for them and that we are proud of them, no matter what.
After the game Payton wanted to wait and see his friend after he left the locker room. Have you ever had the experience when one of your kids is wanting to do the right thing and you are really wanting to do something else? You see, at this point it is 9:30/9:45 p.m. I am thinking, "if we get out of here right now we can be home by 2:00 a.m." Payton is thinking, "I know my buddy could use a hug and to see a familiar face one more time." I agree that we should go and wait. One by one the players come out, hug their Mom's, Dad's, Aunt's, Uncle's, etc. The last player out of the locker room, literally!, was Payton's buddy. He gave each of us a big ol hug and we talked about the game. We walked him to the bus, gave him another hug and told him how proud we are of him. We then headed to our car.
We began the trip back home a little after 11:00 p.m. Gehrig just laid down in the back seat and was asleep before we even got out of Baton Rouge. Payton told me he was going to stay awake the whole way and visit with me...this lasted about 40 minutes. He was out cold. About an hour into it I was hurting, bad. Neither one of the boys would wake up. Finally, I called my Beautiful Bride. She woke right up and talked to me for more than 2 1/2 hours as I drove home. At about 3:15 a.m. I pulled into our drive...an awesome day had come to an end.
Obviously there are a lot of special memories for me from this trip. There are two thoughts I want to share with you:
1. If you have the chance to get in the car and go somewhere with your kids, take it. Payton, Gehrig & I are never going to forget this day. We might all have different "favorite" parts however the point is we did it together. That is what we all cherish...that we were together.
2. Kathy has been there for me since I was 17-years old and she is still there for me today. Please don't think I was mean for calling her or that it was a grind for either one of us. That 2 1/2 hour phone conversation? We talked about our kids, the state of our family, our relationship, our hopes, goals & dreams, we told jokes - good & bad ones...we just totally enjoyed one another. I recognize how blessed I am to have such a remarkable woman on this life journey with me and I thank God every single day for her. If you are blessed to have someone on your life journey with you, please cherish them and the moments, all of the moments, with them. Not every great moment has to be something big and spectacular...sometimes it can just be one long phone call at the end of an unforgettable day.
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.
Have a great day, a wonderful week and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
What Are You Leaving?
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new day dawns!
Oh my goodness! I was 0 for September in writing Happy Friday! The juggling of a changing work schedule, travel, school starting & kids sporting events have absolutely kicked my rear end! This morning it was like going to see an old friend. I woke up before the alarm, bright eyed and excited to write...and here I am! :)
It is funny, though I did not get to write Happy Friday for a month, the thought I have wanted to share with you has not changed. About a month ago I was listening to the radio and one of the people on the radio said, "don't focus on what you are going to leave people, focus on what you are going to leave in them." I have literally thought about that saying at least once a day, every day, for the past month.
Old houses have always fascinated me. When driving down the highway and seeing an old, run down, dilapidated house I can't help but think back to when it was new. Who were the people who lived there? It was once shiny, beautiful & new...what did it look like then? Were the people as excited to move into that house as my family and I have been to move into our homes? What memories did they share there? Was it bustling with activity? You can almost close your eyes - don't try this if you are driving! :) - and see little kids running around playing in the yard. But now? There is nothing. There is no activity. Nobody would go in there...unless you crawl, slither or walk very, very close to the ground.
In many ways we are like that house. We were once young, fresh & new. Everyone fawned over us, played with us and we were the epitome of activity. However like those old houses there will come a time when earthly life leaves us. What will be left then?
We spend a great deal of time trying to acquire stuff. We buy houses & cars. We buy clothes & jewelry & toys. We buy all of this "stuff" and all this "stuff" has a shelf life. I am sure I am not the only parent who has bought something for one of my kids because they really "needed" or "had to" have it only to find that within days, perhaps hours, they could care less about it. It's "stuff." It doesn't matter.
So let's shift for a moment and talk about the stuff that is on the inside, not on the outside. After all, these are things that can never be taken...they will exist forever, as long as the living being that holds them is alive. Think about it Friends, literally every earthly possession can be taken, we can be stripped down until we are completely naked, what is left then? Let me pull out a few things...
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend & please cherish your precious families.
Kev
I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new day dawns!
Oh my goodness! I was 0 for September in writing Happy Friday! The juggling of a changing work schedule, travel, school starting & kids sporting events have absolutely kicked my rear end! This morning it was like going to see an old friend. I woke up before the alarm, bright eyed and excited to write...and here I am! :)
It is funny, though I did not get to write Happy Friday for a month, the thought I have wanted to share with you has not changed. About a month ago I was listening to the radio and one of the people on the radio said, "don't focus on what you are going to leave people, focus on what you are going to leave in them." I have literally thought about that saying at least once a day, every day, for the past month.
Old houses have always fascinated me. When driving down the highway and seeing an old, run down, dilapidated house I can't help but think back to when it was new. Who were the people who lived there? It was once shiny, beautiful & new...what did it look like then? Were the people as excited to move into that house as my family and I have been to move into our homes? What memories did they share there? Was it bustling with activity? You can almost close your eyes - don't try this if you are driving! :) - and see little kids running around playing in the yard. But now? There is nothing. There is no activity. Nobody would go in there...unless you crawl, slither or walk very, very close to the ground.
In many ways we are like that house. We were once young, fresh & new. Everyone fawned over us, played with us and we were the epitome of activity. However like those old houses there will come a time when earthly life leaves us. What will be left then?
We spend a great deal of time trying to acquire stuff. We buy houses & cars. We buy clothes & jewelry & toys. We buy all of this "stuff" and all this "stuff" has a shelf life. I am sure I am not the only parent who has bought something for one of my kids because they really "needed" or "had to" have it only to find that within days, perhaps hours, they could care less about it. It's "stuff." It doesn't matter.
So let's shift for a moment and talk about the stuff that is on the inside, not on the outside. After all, these are things that can never be taken...they will exist forever, as long as the living being that holds them is alive. Think about it Friends, literally every earthly possession can be taken, we can be stripped down until we are completely naked, what is left then? Let me pull out a few things...
- Faith - where or in what am I placing my faith? In the life I live more than in the words I speak. Am I teaching & showing this to my Beautiful Bride, Tender Warriors...every person I am privileged to come into contact with? There will come a time in every one of our lives when we will need faith, when nothing else will sustain us...what have I left in them? The house, the car, the "stuff" won't help them...they will have to have faith. Have I taught them? Shown them? Though I won't physically be there to help or show them will they know where to go, what to do?
- Hope - in who or what am I placing my hope? A person? My job? Our house? People leave, my job & house can be taken...where is hope being placed? Again, am I showing them where to place hope so joy can never be taken? What am I leaving in them?
- Love - am I demonstrating unconditional love for everyone? Isn't it ironic how we want to judge, classify & generalize people...until we need help. Then all of the sudden we want everyone to be kind, loving & helpful. What would this world look like if we were kind, loving & helpful all the time...not just when we wanted or needed something? Am I leaving this in the people I am privileged to do life with every day?
- Value - do I truly value other people and myself? Do I truly believe, and walk out, that every life has value, meaning & purpose? When I have gone to be with the Lord will my boys look at someone as a bum or will they know, despite the brokenness & pain, that every life - every life! - has value, meaning & purpose, regardless of whether or not the person is choosing to pursue it? Will they look for the good in others? Perhaps help others find the good within themselves that they didn't know, or forgot, exists? What am I leaving in them?
- Excellence - am I truly striving to become the best I am capable of becoming every day? Am I instilling in others the pursuit of personal excellence, which is not tied to a measurable outcome as it is too great to be measured? When Payton is pursuing his dream of playing college football and the road looks dark & bleak, when Landry is in the last day of Hell Week for Navy Seal training or when Gehrig is pitching in the World Series, it is the bottom of the 9th, bases are loaded, there are 2 outs and his team is up by 1 - I am coming alongside my Tender Warriors in their hopes, goals & dreams here - what have I placed in them for those moments? Have I taught them to go for it or to quit? Have I taught them to do their best and in this they will find victory? Have I taught them to fear failure or to pursue greatness? Have I taught them it is impossible or that with God all things are possible? Their hopes, goals & dreams are on the line...what have I left in them?
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend & please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Saturday, August 29, 2015
You Are In Charge
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this absolutely beautiful Saturday afternoon! Football season is here!!! Absolutely love this time of year! After preparing this Happy Friday I am piling in the car with my Tender Warriors and we are going to go watch G's high school team play tonight.
One random thought before I dive into what is on my heart this week; Happy Friday, and all the hope & optimism it evokes, is a condition of the heart, not a day of the week! :)
So what has really been on my heart since last Sunday is this; you are in charge. It is your life and it is your choice how you are going to live it. Now, before digging in a little deeper, please allow me to put some qualifiers around specifically what I am saying. I am not talking about religion, God, our need for God, etc. What I am talking specifically about is captured best in this quote; "Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we should wait for someone else to do the right thing before we do the right thing." - Unknown
Every day you & I wake up we have several choices to make. We get to choose our attitude, the effort we will bring to everything, with whom & where we will spend our most valuable resource...our time, how we will act & react in all situations, etc. These are all choices we make. We own them. We are responsible & accountable for them. Most of us don't like this...
It strikes me when looking at marriages how often we will point at the other person and say, "If only he [she] would _________, I would __________." And in the moment we forfeit, run from really, the responsibility & the accountability that we own...whether we recognize it or not. Bottom line Friends, you & I can only control ourselves. I can't make my Beautiful Bride happy, I can't make her choose to do anything. It always strikes me that God is all about free will - He let's people choose - and then we, the lost & broken people, think we are going to come in and demand that someone be or do something. Kinda scary if you think about it. Anyways, regardless of what Kathy chooses to do or not to do, I still have a choice - for which I am responsible & accountable for...not her - in how I will act & react. Simple to understand - very, very hard to live out.
If you are in a relationship of any kind and you don't like how things are going, instead of pointing the finger at the other person and waiting for them to change or do something, why don't you man or woman-up and be the change? Go ahead, extend the olive branch first. Be the first to forgive. Be the first to change the way you behave. Be the first to encourage. Be the first to make the relationship right. Be the first to swallow your pride. Be the first to serve. Be the first to give up your "rights." Be the first to give up anger. Be the first to give up disappointment. We all want to be the first all the time, why not be the first at these things?!?! You & I have so much more power than we access because we forfeit it under this guise that we are "humbly submitting to keep the peace" when in reality we are defiantly holding on to pride. It's time Friends to step up, to be different, to do things different and to take charge of our lives. Nobody can make you happy...that is a deal between you & God. It's an inside job, it's in your heart. Period.
I want to wrap up today with a couple of more quotes, some things for you to think about & ponder.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish those precious families & friends!
Kev
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this absolutely beautiful Saturday afternoon! Football season is here!!! Absolutely love this time of year! After preparing this Happy Friday I am piling in the car with my Tender Warriors and we are going to go watch G's high school team play tonight.
One random thought before I dive into what is on my heart this week; Happy Friday, and all the hope & optimism it evokes, is a condition of the heart, not a day of the week! :)
So what has really been on my heart since last Sunday is this; you are in charge. It is your life and it is your choice how you are going to live it. Now, before digging in a little deeper, please allow me to put some qualifiers around specifically what I am saying. I am not talking about religion, God, our need for God, etc. What I am talking specifically about is captured best in this quote; "Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we should wait for someone else to do the right thing before we do the right thing." - Unknown
Every day you & I wake up we have several choices to make. We get to choose our attitude, the effort we will bring to everything, with whom & where we will spend our most valuable resource...our time, how we will act & react in all situations, etc. These are all choices we make. We own them. We are responsible & accountable for them. Most of us don't like this...
It strikes me when looking at marriages how often we will point at the other person and say, "If only he [she] would _________, I would __________." And in the moment we forfeit, run from really, the responsibility & the accountability that we own...whether we recognize it or not. Bottom line Friends, you & I can only control ourselves. I can't make my Beautiful Bride happy, I can't make her choose to do anything. It always strikes me that God is all about free will - He let's people choose - and then we, the lost & broken people, think we are going to come in and demand that someone be or do something. Kinda scary if you think about it. Anyways, regardless of what Kathy chooses to do or not to do, I still have a choice - for which I am responsible & accountable for...not her - in how I will act & react. Simple to understand - very, very hard to live out.
If you are in a relationship of any kind and you don't like how things are going, instead of pointing the finger at the other person and waiting for them to change or do something, why don't you man or woman-up and be the change? Go ahead, extend the olive branch first. Be the first to forgive. Be the first to change the way you behave. Be the first to encourage. Be the first to make the relationship right. Be the first to swallow your pride. Be the first to serve. Be the first to give up your "rights." Be the first to give up anger. Be the first to give up disappointment. We all want to be the first all the time, why not be the first at these things?!?! You & I have so much more power than we access because we forfeit it under this guise that we are "humbly submitting to keep the peace" when in reality we are defiantly holding on to pride. It's time Friends to step up, to be different, to do things different and to take charge of our lives. Nobody can make you happy...that is a deal between you & God. It's an inside job, it's in your heart. Period.
I want to wrap up today with a couple of more quotes, some things for you to think about & ponder.
"The next time you want to withhold your help, or your love, or your support for another for whatever the reason, ask yourself a simple question; do the reasons you want to withhold it reflect more on them or on you? And which reasons do you want defining you forevermore?" - Dan Pearce
"Sometimes we need to stop preaching to everybody and just start being kind to the people in our lives - take a genuine interest in them and bless them, pray for them and ask God to make us aware of how we might serve them. In other words, we should "show" people the love of Jesus." - Joyce Meyer
"Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart. Be the one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them." - Unknown
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish those precious families & friends!
Kev
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