Friends

At the risk of sounding too sappy I must admit one thing: Thank God for real friends. We need them. Last year I spoke at several seminars across the country that dealt with health. My part was on the mind...or the spiritual side.

All day people heard about the physical issues and answers we face from time to time. When I spoke the atmosphere always changed a little. Start talking about emotional issues and watch what happens. People turn on and get riveted to any hope you may share about how to feel more accepted, more likable, and obviously more loved.

Friends are one avenue that do that for us. Sometime you just need to vent a little. Your friend who really could care less about your situation cares about YOU. So they endure the ramblings to allow you some quality time. Odds are they might need it next week.

Getting divorced after 23 years is quite a shock to the emotional part of your life. Friends have allowed me to vent, ask questions, and even get emotional about it all. Just like the human body needs touch...so does the human psyche need friendship.

Somehow it makes us all feel a little more acceptable in this world we live in.

Fear of Discovery

One thing that has struck me as intersting on this whole blog thing is how people respond. Those of you out there who have a blog know what I'm talking about. Many people cruise by but not many will actually respond on the site with a comment.

Why? Fear.

We have become so concerned with others viewpoints about us that we have become a society of politically correct humanoids. No one wants to go on record for fear they might be discovered for not agreeing with someone else. Then again maybe it's just fear that somehow a hacker will magically derive your social security number from your posting and clean out your bank account! Whatever the reason people are hesitant. It's okay with me though... I understand. Your opinion may cost you something.

Take me for instance. Stand up for what you believe and many won't stand with you. In fact...some stay away for good!

Gone in 60 Seconds

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that
wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will.

You will have your heart broken probably more than
once and it's harder every time.

You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your best friend.

You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.

You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose
someone you love.

So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of
happiness you'll never get back.

DaVinci Code Round 2

Well, the movie is finally coming out in May with Tom Hanks and an all-star cast based on the best-seller by Dan Brown.

There was a lot of complaining and rumblings in the church when the book came out months ago. I was in several church services and never did hear convincing truth about the book or it's pretenses one way or the other. Now don't get me wrong. Much of the book is pure fiction with bits and pieces of facts thrown together with clever novelist writings. But not all of it bogus.

The fact is the church better get ready for another round. The church needs to be ready not only as to explain the book or its bogus claims but mainly to point people to Code Master of all time: Jesus Christ. Pastors, be ready for the harvest. They are coming to your doors in May.

Parking Places

This is an excerpt from one of my new books. I thought it seemed appropriate to include today in the blog.... Tell me what you think!
-Gene

Someone once wrote, “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.” While most people tend to lose heart and surrender their dreams during life's horrible times, top performers learn these universal principles:

 You must discern the difference between temporary setbacks and permanent losses.
 Obstacles are there to strengthen you.
 Obstacles offer progressive measurements of your growing strength.

Difficulties actually accelerate your success, especially when you understand the value of opposition. Muscles never got stronger from inaction; much to the contrary, unused brawn tends to atrophy.

One of the most amazing stories of sheer courage in the face of tremendous odds is that of Nancy Merkl. Stricken with polio at ten, she was condemned to wear heavy braces and later crutches. Yet in four years, she became a swimming champion who, when asked by Franklin Roosevelt how she overcame such odds, said, “I just kept trying, Mister President!”
Her parents had taken her to a man named Jack Cody, swimming coach at an athletic club in Portland, Oregon. It took a year to teach her to swim the length of the pool. But she was determined. Finally, the coach realized that this young girl was not only interested in swimming as a mean of restoring her health and the use of her limbs, she also wanted to be a champion.
Four years from the time she was stricken with paralysis, she came in third at a meet in Santa Barbara, California. At the age of nineteen, she changed her style of swimming and emerged as the national champion.
Nancy Merkl kept on trying. So can you!

Old Cars

I borrowed an old classic car today to drive for a few hours. It was great..nothing like a car made from real metal and cloth. Not a sign of plastic anywhere.

I had to stop and put air in the tires since it had not been driven in so long. As I was wrapping it all up a man walked over and wanted to look inside. Took him back to his high school days he said. Then he made a remark about a girlfriend and something that happened in that car. Almost immediately he snapped out of it and told me he had to get back to his wife in the car.

I am obviously leaving out a few details here. My point is here we were 2 strangers talking about a car and high school like we were long lost childhood friends. Kinda cool what an old car will do!

Maybe if we all dwelt on what we have in common with each other more we might enjoy our lives more as well! I felt as if I made a friend all because he wanted to talk about a car from his youth.

It would've never happened if I was driving a Toyota Camry ya know....

Season of Change

Wow...It's been a long time. So much has happened in my life since the last post. I never thought i would be at this place personally...

After 23 years of marriage my wife filed for divorce. I was stunned to say the least. Somehow there are NO words that sum up my feelings during this time. So here I am now...alone in an apartment starting over again. At 45 years old.

Let me make this clear.... I am at fault for many mistakes in my marriage and I don't want you to think my wife did "this" to me. We both did. It takes two to screw up a relationship.

Funny.... the theme of most of my seminars I spoke at in 2005 was "rejection". I guess I am experiencing it again first hand! I think I'll change in 2006 and speak on "living with millions of dollars in the bank". :)

Thanks for coming back to my blog. I promise to update every week again. It is actually therapeutic!

Evangelist Bon Jovi

"Welcome to Wherever You Are" is one of the latest tunes released by Bon Jovi on his new album "Have a Nice Day". As I listened to the album I was particularly struck by this song. I was thinking how I put pressure on myself to be something else from time to time and even try to be someone other than I really am. Y'know what I mean?

I'm not saying we shouldn't try to be better husbands, wives, friends, etc. But I am saying we ought to take the time out to enjoy where we are right now. Be who you are and have a good time. That's the way God made you.

Kind of a diferent spin on Paul's writing on wherever I am to find myself content.

Enjoy life.

Life as a Cat

I want to be my cat.

Recently my family left for several days on a trip back east to visit family. I was home working, traveling, and getting the mail and taking care of the cat. I mean cat(s). We have two.

After a few days of being the sole caretaker of these animals I discovered how much effort they take. I mean you got a litter box, food and water. (Well…I did discover a cat can go awhile with out food…!) I have to buy a special food so they eat properly. I need to give them fresh water everyday and buy cat litter. When I was growing up we threw the cat in the backyard and they ate what varmints they could find and we would supplement that with some cat food (whatever was cheapest).They got their water from the garden hose in an upside down hubcap. And if it rained they drank that water. It wa a simpler pet era… but then again our cats never lasted very long either…

Back to present day…

One cat wants to go outside then come back inside at his discretion. Several times a day or night. The other cat wants to snuggle up and let you pet her….just don’t pick her up. The other cat has decided he will continue to let us live with him. Time to get more food and fresh water.

I discovered these animals really do what they want and have no care in the world for what they are going to eat or drink. They totally expect me or my family to take care of the details. They just go through life. And for the most part without concern. Although being chased and dressed up in a dress by my seven year old daughter has got to be somewhat stressful. (I do take some joy in watching this happen…)

Did you ever notice that that is exactly how God built us? Not like cats but without the concern for what they need or want…they just go through their day living life… one day at a time. Ask any doctor or health professional and they’ll tell you our bodies were not designed to handle the stress we live under today. I know! I’ve had physical issues that are directly related to stress including high blood pressure and digestive problems. Of course I’m sure that extra 45 pounds had a little to do with it.

The point? Stress is always going to be around. Take life one day at a time and enjoy the journey. You’ll be in a better mood, people will like being around you more, and you’ll be healthier.

I gotta go. I need to let the cat out and change the litter box.

Mistake Makers

Do you ever get frustrated with your computer? Does it take forever to boot up? Does it ever lose your documents when you were so close to finishing them? What about software conflicts? Viruses? Hard drive problems? Interestingly enough we expect our computers to operate flawlessly when these very machines were created by human minds. Sure they get more powerful, faster and look better. But they always have issues…and don’t even throw out the “MAC vs. PC” issue. They all break…period.

It’s funny how we humans have the same idea we should operate socially like a piece of machinery. We expect perfection from human minds when everything we create is flawed!

When I was 19 the world was black and white…right and wrong were easy to determine. But as I got older some of those issues became “gray”. Experience with others and mainly dissatisfaction with myself has taught me we’re all one decision away from a mistake. Maybe it’ll cost us a little pain or maybe it will cost us our life. But one thing is for sure: I’m going to make another mistake. No matter how much I want my friends and family to think I’m God’s gift to Man…I keep proving I’m not. I think I understand the Apostle Paul in the New Testament when he is frustrated that “I do the things I don’t want to do and I don’t do the things I want to do”. Sounds like a mistake maker to me. In fact every person we read about in the Bible is quite human. In other words, they all screwed up at one time or another! Guess what… we’re all in that same club: The Mistake Makers.

When I was growing up my father had a statement he would say right after I had made some stupid mistake: “Well, did you learn anything?” I hated that statement. It never made me feel any better. In fact I usually felt like more of a failure! But the premise of it wasn’t bad. I made a mistake, learn from it, and go on from here. Not bad advice to a kid that almost set the house on fire in the kitchen. But that’s another story…

I used to think that one day I would get it all together and be smarter and the mistakes would be fewer. I’m not sure I’ve done any of that. Sometimes I feel like I’m going backwards! But I keep going…

So what’s my point? You are going to make mistakes. You’re going to regret them, be embarrassed by them and want to stick your head in the sand until the pain goes away. But when you eventually pull your head out of the sand you will still be stuck with the same problem: you.

So give yourself a break. Forgive yourself and move on. If God decided to include others mistakes in the Bible then there must be something to be gained from making them. Mistakes are a part of life and hopefully along the way others will learn from what we do wrong. Just remember what Dad said: “Well, did ya learn anything?”

I've been gone awhile...

The month of June was a hard month. July has been strange as well. We all go through times in our lives that are hard. Whether it's health issues or emotional issues or work issues...they all come. And all of them came in the past 60 days for me.
Thanks to all of you who have supported me....and you know who you are.

Friends...we all need 'em!

Pride in Beverly Hills

Well here I was driving in Los Angeles on my way to meet some very important people in the entertainment capital of the world: Beverly Hills, California. I felt good. I had rented a new 2005 Mustang Convertible and tried to shed any notion I lived in Dallas, Texas.

As I turned into the Beverly Wilshire Hotel I was immediately shocked when I saw about 10 willing valets and belhops ready to attend to my every need. Now I must tell you I was looking good. No, I was looking very good. I had a hip blue shirt on with the french cuffs unbuttoned and new striped slacks that Rod Stewart would appreciate. Then it happened...

I pulled to a stop at the door. I put the top back up on the car and got out. And there she was. A beautiful young woman was standing there smiling at me. Now I could have been her dad. You know what I mean? So don't get any screwy ideas rolling around in your head. She expressed: "Wow, cool outfit. You look very nice!" Okay, I admit it. I was flattered and my ego was stroked. This young lady had made my day! Maybe I could have been her father... or maybe I still had "it"!! Regardless, it was a great feeling.

So I took my ticket and strutted a little more (now that I had been complimented so...) over to the front door. I was feeling pretty cool right up to the point I tripped up the 2 steps to the door.

And then the moment was gone. Back to reality...

I couldn't help but laugh...and no, I didn't turn around to see who was laughing with me. Suddenly that old familiar bible verse came to mind..."Pride goeth before a fall."

Next week I'm in Tulsa.....I'm not worried....

First Church of the Front Porch

I was in Haiti.

Not in the bustling city of Port au Prince but far outside any normal civilization that we would recognize. The land is barren, the temperature is hot and humid and the sky is darker than anything you’ve ever seen at night.

While I was there I had the chance to slow down and chat with new friends I had made on the front porch of the building we were staying in. Some brilliant soul had brought rocking chairs from America. There’s something about a rocking chair that says “Chill…sit down for a spell. Let go for a few minutes. Relax.” So we did that. We sat. We rocked. And we talked.

Over the next few hours we talked about our life experiences, our triumphs, our tragedies and our dreams. We got to know each other. We encouraged each other and we laughed at each other.

It’s been a few days since we all left and went back to our individual lives in different parts of the States. But I realized something. Out there on that porch in between swatting mosquitoes and trading stories we had experienced something that brought us all closer together. We had church on the front porch. We didn’t sing songs, have announcements or even take up an offering. But nevertheless we did indeed have church. Confessing your faults to one another, encouraging each other, and having good relationships with those around you. Isn’t that what church is supposed to be? Maybe we didn’t crack a bible open but we did more “church” in that time than I’ve experienced in some 4 hour “church” services. Didn’t He say He’d be there in the midst of 2 or 3 that are gathered in His name?

Maybe we ought to return to the front porch concept for church. Put down all your religion and all your pre-conceived ideas of church and just be real. Let God use you in the most “real” way He can. Get to know new people…make friends. After all, it’s not about you is it?

Funny how I had to go to Haiti to have good fellowship… Maybe I just slowed down long enough to recognize it when it came “rocking”.

So here are my new 4 Steps to Success for a Happy Life:
Sit. Rock. Relax. Share.

The First Church of the Front Porch…come on... pull up a rocking chair…

The Four Seasons

I’ve had the opportunity to live in several places here in the good ole USA. From Georgia to North Carolina to Texas to Florida then on to California and back to Texas again. All of them had their pluses and minuses.

Every place had its own unique version of the four seasons (for you city slickers I’m not referring to the hotel chain). North Carolina had a spectacular Fall and Winter. If you blinked in Texas you’d miss Fall completely but you’d cherish the bluebonnets when they were blooming in the Spring. And who doesn’t like an eternal summer in California with snow skiing as a bonus…in the same day? How about those laid-back beautiful beaches found only in the summers of Florida?

We humans do the same thing. We have our own versions of the seasons. I’ve noticed as I’ve grown older a lot of things have changed. Time is more precious. I try to let things go quicker and take risks more. Laugh more with friends and most of all try to not act like I have all the answers. Surprisingly enough I discovered I don’t!

Sometimes I catch myself longing for a time in the past when I knew all the answers and life was simpler. But back then I wanted more wisdom…the kind that only comes from experience. Now…I think I’m done with the whole wisdom thing…you can keep it. Life is too hard sometimes to learn from it!

It’s so easy to let our lives get so cluttered with stuff that we miss the seasons changing right before our eyes. We may not even like the changes but they come anyway. Instead of kicking and screaming that we don’t want a “summer” to end maybe we ought to look at what God is doing and just embrace it. Sound like a total surrender? Absolutely.

Funny thing is…when you surrender you don’t care about the battle anymore. It’s just over. And you move on.

Embrace the changes in your life when they come. You might see something you overlooked earlier…after all “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens.”

Trust Airways

I was chatting with a colleague the other day. We both fly a lot for business and we've had our share of mishaps on the airlines. Lost baggage, 1 hour trips that turned into 8 hour trips, screaming kids....you name it.

Did you ever notice our airline system is totally set up "one way"? The airlines ask us to prove who we are several times. And don't think of going by your middle name on the ticket. It's gotta be the whole name. And what about those people at the security line? Some of them still don't know English. I'm not sure they should even be here. We disrobe to go through security. God forbid you set off the metal detector. At that point your carry-on goes one way and you go the other for some "friendly frisking." Hopefully you and your luggage will re-unite. By the way I need to see your boarding pass.

They ask us questions about what is in our luggage. They rummage through our luggage at will. Did you ever see one of those cards in your bag when you arrived at your destination? It's supposed to make us feel more secure they rooted around in our bag somewhere in the bowels of the airport when you weren't looking. (Another reason Mom was right..always have clean underwear.) Somehow I just feel violated.

I know it's just a sign of our times. But why do we have to do all the trusting? I don't know these people checking me or my luggage. Much less the neanderthal downstairs putting his grubby hands all over my clothes checking for a rogue fingernail clipper, and a can of hairspray.

But if I'm going to fly..... this is my walk to work everyday!`We live by this system everyday day-in and day-out simply place all my earthly gathrings togetheer; and let a stange person runmmage through them.

Sometimes it's just plain easier to drive.

Cat Scratch Fever

We have two cats. One is quite the lover existing to jump in your lap and spend quality time; the other bristles at the notion we are in charge and not him. He lets us live with him.

My seven-year-old daughter just can’t help herself. She is on a life-quest to make the disinterested cat her friend and playmate. Of course, he isn’t interested. In fact, when he hears her coming he panics and runs to his best hiding place possible.

Not too long ago while I was away on business, my daughter screamed out one of those earth-shattering screams. She came running to my wife, Faith, with her hand dripping in blood. As Faith cleaned the wound she noticed it was quite deep. When asked how the cut occured a brief explanation was given about how she had cut it on the corner of a piece of furniture. Hours later I returned home. She replayed the dramatic events of the day the way only a drama queen daughter can to her father. I was attentive and tried to console her that it would heal and leave no lasting scar.

Then I asked how the cut had become to be. Sheepishly she confessed the cat had bit her while she was trying to play with him. Realizing she had told me another story than her mother eight hours before…her conscience began to bother her. Time for damage control! She immediately confessed to the lie admitting she knew she wasn’t supposed to hold the cat hostage in her room.

The next morning after church Faith discovered the cut was looking very bad…Red, inflamed and quite painful. A very bad infection had set in. So off to the minor emergency “you’re really going to pay for this” center. A shot in the hip and an aggressive round of antibiotics was given. More pain, more drama, more tears. If she had only confessed the truth to her mother; Faith would have aggressively cleaned out the wound much more thoroughly. A little hydrogen peroxide would have probably made the difference. This was going to take much longer.

We do the same thing. I make mistakes all the time. We hide them from the Father thinking we can take care of it all ourselves. We don’t want to admit we knew we were doing wrong in the first place. Why? It’s not as if we’re getting away with it. That’s for sure. Pulling the wool over God’s eyes never works.

So what happens? We carry it around for days, weeks, months or years letting it fester into some sort of spiritual infection. The pain of carrying it around is harder and more painful than the wound itself. The fever has set in.

It’s so much easier to take it to the cross, admit we screwed up, and ask for forgiveness right away. Then the healing can begin. But not until we do so and let God’s healing salve remove all the infectious properties.

We were not concerned with our daughter making a mistake as much as not coming to us in truth so we could make sure her wound was properly cleansed. Forgiveness from the Father is always available and it’s not contingent on what we do. It just is.

By the way, my daughter survived but the cat is still nervous and very disinterested. Cat scratch fever has passed.

Mysteries Among Us

Recently I was discussing childhoods with a family friend. There was a group of us and we were discussing different things about where we grew up, our families, how goofy we looked (okay maybe how goofy I looked) etc... It was in the middle of this conversation I found out startling information about one of our group.

She was from a broken home. Not one that split amicably either. In fact it escalated to the point her mother kidnapped the children and lived on the run. They would dye their hair and change their names. The father would get close and then they were off to another state to live another life. Wow, I was stunned. I never expected to hear that coming from her. She was the last person I would have suspected to have lived such a life. But here she was in my kitchen re-telling her story.

For days I could not get her story out of my head. Not just the details of a life on-the-run but how I really didn't know her at all. Somehow I think we are all closer now. Sharing your life experiences can do that.

How well do you know those people you see everyday? Your friends? Your spouse? I bet there are a lot more stories that haven't been told than we'll ever know. And they're playing out right before our eyes...just behind a thin veil of secrecy. Those walls that we build mentally and emotionally for protection keep us from those who love us best knowing us completely.

And that's what we all really want isn't it? Acceptance...friendship...love. C'mon, tear down those walls and let somone know you better. You probably won't end up on the Jerry Springer Show!

Get to know those people God has put in your life... they might just be a mystery among us.

The Paper Chase

I don't get it.

In my high school there were no such things as calculators. Computers were the size of mobile homes. And vinyl was the only real form of music...an album. I was pretty forward thinking with the addition of new technology in my car: an 8-track. Very cool. Those days are gone.

I asked one of my kids the other day to figure out how many miles per gallon we got on our last tank of gasoline. We were on a short vacation and I wanted to know the mileage my SUV was getting. It was the "Dad" kind of thing to do. In fact, I remember my dad pulling out a piece of paper and figuring up how many miles per gallon we were getting in his new 1966 Chevy pickup. Did you get that? P.A.P.E.R. Unheard of nowadays...

Well, my brilliant child instantly whipped out a cell phone to access the calculator feature. I was stunned. "That's cheating" I said. "Figure it out on paper, this will be a good life-lesson for you". Groans ensued we had a nice little chat about it. He finally figured it out and I was satisfied. But it got me thinking...

8-track - cassette - CD - mp3 - Ipod - cell phone - camera phone, etc. I was part of them all. In fact, I was tech junkie. I love the stuff. We neeeed the stuff. But it's driving me crazy.

I had an organizer, I had a Palm Pilot. What do I use now? A notebook.
I have one of the latest camera phones. My complaint? It's not loud enough...I'd trade it for a phone I can hear in a restaurant.
I can afford to buy a new luxury car. I paid the one I had off instead.
I could buy a bigger house. All I want to do is pay this one off before I'm 65.
Email on a Blackberry? Nah, too fat to carry in my pocket.
and the list goes on...

Gee...I sound like my father. I remember when designer jeans first came out several decades ago. My dad commented: "If I'm going to pay that much for a pair of jeans, It's going to have MY name on them, not Calvin Klein's."

I laughed then. Now, I agree. Incredibly insightful.

Enjoy all the new things we have in life... but never lose sight of common sense, spending too much money on things you didn't know you needed, and paper.

Sometimes simpler is just plain better. No matter how cool it is.

Does anyone know where my tablet PC is? Forget it...I'll just use the original version.

Runaway Jury

Okay, I admit it.When I received a summons for jury duty I groaned. This was not working into my busy schedule. In fact, it could not have come at a worse time. Reluctantly I appeared downtown at the courthouse at the appointed time to try and not get picked.Out of several hundred people present I thought I had a great chance of getting out before noon and back to my own schedule. But I got called.Then about 35 of us left for the courtroom to be grilled by lawyers for the case to see who would be eliminated. This was my chance! Great ideas came to me as to what I could say to eliminate myself from the running. But...they were lies and I couldn't bring myself to do it. I still had a good chance to be passed over. I was juror number 22. Hey, they only needed 12!You know what happened..I was selected as juror #8 on the panel of 12. I was about to go ballistic when I realized the honor I had to be able to serve on a jury...after all that's the essence of America's judicial system. It's what we were all about.... I still didn't want to be there.Three days later we were done. Twelve citizens had appropriately passed a verdict on a case. I met some great people and left almost a little sad it was all over. It felt good to have been a part of our judicial system. And yes, I did feel pretty guilty I wanted out of it so badly.So when you're called the next time for jury duty I encourage you to buck up and do your civic duty. It beats the heck out of living in a country where there is no democracy run by a Saddam Hussein-type leader.Hey, I'm $6 a day richer too.

A Day Late

I have had the opportunity over my life to meet incredible people from all walks of life in countries with cultures unique to my western way of thinking. One such person was Madame Glacidia in the mountains of Haiti.

I didn’t travel there to meet her specifically but she was there waiting on me when I arrived with a medical team one day. The group I was working with, Love A Child, holds medical clinics in small villages in Haiti away from the mass population of Port-au-Prince. Here, medical supplies were nonexistent and the hope of seeing a doctor or nurse was only a dream. Yet, nonetheless, we were here.

When you hold a medical clinic in these villages the power of “word-of-mouth” advertising is seen in it’s most powerful and efficient form. While the village may only have a few dozen residents, there are always hundreds present to receive medical care. They come from neighboring villages. Some close and some far. Some travel through the night to just have the opportunity to possibly see a doctor or nurse. There’s no HMOs, PPOs, or Assisted Living here. It’s just life…in its most primitive form.

Barely able to walk, Madame Glacidia approached the clinic. It was clear this woman was in excrutiating pain. She was delirious. She had a blood disease and it was bad. It had progressed so much in her body that her skin even had the stench of death. She was literally a dead woman walking. Unless a miracle happened…she would die. With her was her 6 month-old baby, her son and her husband. They were obviously very concerned. Sherry Burnette and the medical team did every thing they could that day to help her.

Two weeks later she was dead.

It’s overwhelming to witness such a needless death when all that was needed was proper nutrition and hygiene in the first place. But so many more die each day here in a country that is so close to the coast of Florida. We might as well have been on another planet.

What seemed to be a day late for Madame Glacidia was a day in the nick-of-time for so many others that day. From children suffering from malnutrition to worm infestations in almost every person the team encountered... medical miracles and wonders were wrought that hot summer afternoon. Lives were changed.

I don’t think I’ll forget Madame Glacidia. To me she represents how fragile every life is and how fleeting our time on this planet can be. And I don’t think I’ll forget the children I met that day either. They’re alive because a medical team came to their remote village one day in the mountains of Haiti.

For them, this was truly a life-defining moment. I think it was for me too.