Even the Smallest

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." ~Mother Teresa

As we watch the Major Baseball playoffs, it reminds me of a story regarding a pitcher named Roy Halladay. Roy became only the second person to ever throw a no-hitter in post season play on October 5, 2010. It was quite an accomplishment when you look at the history of baseball. More amazing is that on May 29 of that same year, Halladay had also pitched the 20th perfect game ever in Major League Baseball history.

As they say, "27 up, 27 down" to complete the game.

So what can pitching a no-hitter in baseball have to do with living a great life. Most certainly having that level of talent brings adulation and money, lots of money that helps make life comfortable. But it is the person behind the talent, their character, that makes a great life. And Roy Halladay did something beyond just receiving acclaim for his accomplishments.

After pitching the perfect game earlier that year in May, he arranged to commemorate the accomplishment. Halladay went and presented 60 Swiss-made Baume and Mercier watches he had purchased to everyone in the clubhouse. Each were presented in boxes bearing the inscription: "We did it together. Thanks, Roy Halladay." To top it off, on the back of each watch was engraved the date of the game, the line score, and the individual recipient's name.

Those sixty people were not just his fellow ball-players. They were the coaches, the trainers, and people that others might have considered to be insignificant participants to his accomplishment.

But not to Roy.

Roy understood and acknowledged that even the smallest of us have a large impact on success in life. While you toil away at something in life, you may feel insignificant. Just know that even the smallest flower along the roadside serves a grand purpose. The nectar a bee consumes, which creates food for the hive yet sustains the bee to carry on the pollination of other plants. The smallest flower is involved in the circle that will carry life forward.

And if we have greatness in our life, we need to remember and acknowledge all the other people that helped us accomplish it. For without many others your life can not be sustained for very long. Without the smallest flowers, the bee has less to draw upon. In time, the bee can no longer sustain its grand work. Even the largest depend upon the small; life is pretty grand in that respect.

So know that your life is never too big to have done so on your own. Nor is your life too small not to have an impact on the life of another person. Not all of us can pitch a no-hitter, but each of us can make a difference in the life of another. And when we impact the lives of other people, its as good as having a "27 up and 27 down" great life.

Stay inspired my friends!

Person of Importance

"The significance of a man is not in what he attains, but rather what he longs to attain." -Kahlil Gibran

We can feel pretty small in what some may call the "grand scheme" of life. We can tend to feel awfully insignificant with all that goes on around us. Take for instance the size of the earth. The planet Jupiter is eleven times larger than our living planet earth. And that giant object which sustains us, the Sun, is 109 times larger than the planet earth.

It can really start to make us feel small.

But each of us are important and significant within the realm of our life. To those in our life, our family, our friends and those we come in contact with every day. It sounds very much like the Frank Capra movie called "Its a Wonderful Life" but it is true; you do matter.

All that you do has impact either good or bad. You get to choose which it is going to be. My hope is that you will make the good choices. And know that you are a person of importance.

Stay inspired my friends.