It is an unforgettable and wonderful series of memories as I go back in my mind to an early September day in 1987. I cannot help but pause and reflect how it all began — it was the beginning of “Us.” It was the first couple weeks of my senior year in college. Soccer practice had just finished and I was on my way to … Read more
Probably my most watched and favorite movie is Out of Africa. So many reasons for this that are beyond the scope of this post… not least of which is I have been on the farm at the foot of the Ngong Hills and in the house of Karen Blixen. Past the midpoint of the movie, Karen Blixen is reflecting after her years in Kenya and … Read more
I tend to be very self focused. I can also be a fairly selfish individual. Maybe not in all areas of my life, but when it comes to my dreams, my vision, my purpose – it becomes obvious that I want “my” needs met to make those things happen. 2020 is the Beginning of a New Way of Doing Things I have spent the last … Read more
It took me a solid month to get my goal setting, planning, vision, and dreams set for the year. Now I’m ready. This blog post is more for my own sake than it is for anyone else. I believe in writing out my goals, sharing them, making them public, and always before me. So, let’s get started… and not in any particular order because they … Read more
Twenty years ago I disembarked from a British Airways DC10 and stepped into the international terminal at Chicago O’Hare with my wife and two small girls. Twenty-four hours of flying and layovers is typically enough to make anyone’s brain feel like jello and their thoughts foggy – but the compounding of events that led to this moment would forever change me. I was dazed, deadpan, and … Read more
For me, in my life right now, this may be one of the most important blog posts I have written in a long time. It’s my bucket list. I turned 51 last month, and as I move toward the autumn of my life, I want to create a list of things I want to accomplish before I kick the bucket. This bucket list will require … Read more
Growing old… so far I’m not a fan. Life is frail as it is, but when the weeks and months become years and decades, life goes from frail to fragile. I imagine as I age I’m like everybody else… reflecting on my childhood, the people that were a part of my life, and things I was able to do. I have great memories of daily … Read more
I turned 50 about 4 months ago. I still have not wrapped my head around the idea that I reached 50 years old. At times I still feel like I’m half that age (at least mentally). However, I am finally getting up the nerve to do something that I should have done long time ago. About 10 years ago when I was turning 40 I … Read more
Five months ago today I said goodbye to my mother at Memorial Hospital in Springfield, IL. She passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus. It had been a moment that I had prayed about for several years as I watched my mother’s health decline, and then exponentially degrade over the last 2-3 years. I prayed for her healing, but I also knew that this moment … Read more
Whew… it is almost May. I hate being that person who says, “look at the time go by.” That’s the thing, I don’t want to watch time go by. I’ve become too aware of the shortness of days over the last 9 months. So many people have passed that were close to me. I want to savor and relish the days and hours. That got … Read more
I’m sitting at the Gateway Cafe in Southlake, TX, wondering what it would take to walk away from everything… …I don’t know. Maybe it’s the Earl Grey Latte I’m drinking and the gloomy weather outside, but my mind is restless and it has wandered. Now, when I say “everything,” let me qualify that to mean my career, my business, my job. Not “every”thing… just everything … Read more
It’s been well over a month since I wrote something on my blog. It’s been a month of extreme highs and lows. I left on December 8th for Orlando, Florida. With Traci, my wife and best friend in the world, where we spent 5 days at Disney World (sans kids) celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. We had the time of our life. We had been planning … Read more