The Birthday

"The best way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once." -E Joseph Cossman

Forgive me if I indulge a bit on the personal side today. Today is a special day and I can honestly say that I have never forgotten my wife's birthday. To prove it, today is my wife Laura's birthday and I have written a birthday message for her.

But my words can not say enough, so I will simply say "Happy birthday my dear" and tell you that I want for us to celebrate many, many more of these together.

In ending, it always ends up to one thing, and that is to say I love you.

Let's celebrate this again, same time, next year!

Embracing the Good

"Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things." -Daryn Kagan

The recent destruction of a town in Oklahoma, loss of life and devastation due to a massive EF5 tornado can be very hard to comprehend.

There were nearly 13,000 homes destroyed or damaged, affecting close to 33,000 people. Damages to structures alone will likely top the $1 billion mark, which doesn't include the damage to the psyche of people. It has been reported that over 350 people were injured and sadly 24 people, including 10 children, were confirmed killed.

All of us know how horrible this storm was due to the many news stories. We also know it doesn't take an EF5 tornado to completely overturn your life. It could be a house fire, terrible car accident, divorce, job loss, sickness or a terminal illness. Bad things happen to people nearly every minute of every day. Pretty depressing if you think about it from that perspective.

But good things also happen to people nearly every minute of every day. A new home is moved into, a car trip to Grandma's home, a marriage is embraced, job promotion, healing occurs and a baby is born. The human spirit is reaffirmed in the aftermath of destruction; we out shine the darkness that happens in our lives.

Do not let the news make you believe life is simply one horrible event after another. Those things do happen and we will always rise from them. Embrace the goodness that happens. Believe in the power of all the good things that do happen every day, every minute and every breath of our life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Family Ties

"Family is not an important thing. It's everything." -Michael J. Fox

Families come in all shapes and sizes. They come in ways you may view as non-traditional. To others, your traditional family might very well be considered non-traditional. It could be considered matrilocal (a mother and her children); conjugal (a husband, his wife, and children); or even consanguineal (extended family) whereby parents and children live together with other members of one parent's family.

There have been studies showing that:

- Having social support is greatly related to psychological well-being. What this means is the more one feels they have family and friends that will be there for them, the less likely one will become depressed and anxious.

- Having high levels of social support is a predictor of greater job satisfaction and a higher number of years staying within a particular job as opposed to those without the social support.

- Healthier living is much more likely with greater social support which translates into greater odds of living longer and much more productive or active into older age.

We each understand that there can never be the "perfect" family, regardless of the style or makeup of that family. We have our differences and friction can take place. But the family environment should allow for that friction to take place in a safe place. Being able to express, learn, laugh and love is what the family can do for us.

Your family is not always contained to "blood" relationships. Families can grow to be close friends, a community family or a church family. Each are in support of one another, in good times and in troubled times, each are there to support one another.

Find your family to be a part of. It is a two-way street in which you give of yourself to but also get to receive in times of need. There will be disagreement, but there will also be laughter...and there will always be love.

Stay inspired my friends.

Tears of Joy

"The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity." -Lucius Annaeus Seneca

It is much harder to say good bye when you don't exactly know when someone is leaving. The words never seem to say the right thing nor do they even truly comfort the soul. For me, I have been trying to figure out how to say these words to a friend that is on that path to eternity. She is a close friend to my wife. I love her as a sister. I love her husband like a brother.

And there is nothing I can do about it.

Her faith in God is greater than most and I truly admire the courage with which she faces each remaining moment. God can perform miracles and this is one I would truly love and pray to see happen. Yet it is not for me to demand that of my God. So we wait patiently and in expectation of the plan that is Belinda.

There have been tears cried by her family and friends. There will be more to be shed for sure. Our hope is that they are tears of joy for recovery, but we also know they will be tears of joy for her place in eternity. As I told one of her daughters, those tears will water the seeds of something new. The lessons learned, the life given by Belinda will sprout into great things for her children, her grand children, her husband Mark and mother Charlene.

I have no way of knowing what those great things will be, but I do know they will be birthed in the love that Belinda has shown all of us. Yes, I understand it is strange and odd to talk of someone as if they are no longer with us. In my heart I truly hope we can sit at a table in years to come and laugh about my words written here. But I want Belinda to know how much I love her, her husband and entire family.

And to tell her that I am a better person for having known her.

Safe travels to you Belinda and brighten a star for us when you are gone.