The Old Barn and Miss Jeannine

The barn that you see in the picture above is one that I had planned to stop and take a picture of for a long time. I literally would pass by this old barn every day on my way to work and, many times, on my way back from work, depending upon which route I would take.

It actually became a running joke with my wife when we would pass by the barn - on days that I wasn't on my way to work - and I would say, "One of these days I'm going to stop and take a picture of that old barn!". The reason it became a running joke is because I said that for about a year and a half.

And then, one day I finally did it! I finally pulled over on my way to work one morning and took a couple of pictures of this old barn. I love pictures of old barns and other buildings like this and I finally did it! THEN my next plan was to take a picture of it for each of the four seasons. As you can likely tell from the picture, this one was taken this past Spring.

About a month or so I passed by and noticed what you see in the picture below. That's right, the old barn had collapsed and, shortly after, was completely removed to where you could not even tell that the barn had ever been there at all.

I'm so glad that I did finally pull over and take that picture that I had talked about for so long because, little did I know at the time, I would not have many more chances to do so before it's collapse. 

Now for Miss Jeannine. I didn't post a picture of her but she has been a dear friend to my wife and I for about the past twelve years. We first met her when we moved to a new town back in late 2005 and got to know her very well over the course of the 5+ years that we lived in that town. Even after we moved from there we stayed in touch and even got to see her from time to time even after she moved from there as well.

She spent the last year or so in a nursing home and we would stop by and see her whenever we had the chance to do so and I would even stop by when I was by myself and on my way somewhere related to my work.

The last few times we got to visit with Miss Jeannine were a bit disconcerting to us because she was starting to struggle with maintaining a good mind and, once, when I stopped to see her by myself, I spent a bit of time helping to calm her down because she didn't know where she was and who all the people were that were there. They were the other residents of the nursing home.

My wife and I saw her towards the end of this past March...about four months ago and have talked about how we NEEDED to go see Miss Jeannine again. But, for whatever reason, "things" came up and we just never got it done.

Last week I received word that she had been placed in the hospital with pneumonia and, then, the day after that they were going to be placing her in hospice. My wife and I were trying to arrange our schedule to where we could go see her and hoped that she would be able to know that we were there. We received word that they actually had placed her in hospice on Monday and we finally figured out that we would go see her on the following Friday.

On Tuesday I received word that she had passed.

There were no longer any more chances to go visit with our dear friend. Ever.

We attended her funeral this past Saturday and we both talked about how much we wished we had gotten the chance to see her "one more time".

The old barn is one example and Miss Jeannine is another but, friend, there are situations and examples like that around you each and every day.

We tend to get complacent and we tend to take things for granted but I want to encourage you to make a sincere effort to "wake up" from that complacency and to take action TODAY and EVERY DAY!

Stop putting off whatever it is that you keep saying that you need to do and just do it.
Stop saying you need to call or go visit someone and just do it.

Stop forgetting to tell someone that you love them and how much they mean to you and just do it.

Stop talking about "one of these days" and do it TODAY while you still have the chance.

If you don't you will likely regret it and if you do, you will be glad that you did.

With that in mind, whatever you do, always be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

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Learning To Live OR Waiting to Die?

Read the graphic and then read (or re-read) the title and ask yourself about BOTH of them, "Is that such an odd question?"

 

The fact is, friend, that it is NOT an odd question at all because many people are just "existing" and not truly living and loving life.

 

I don't know about you but I think that is just sad. And unnecessary.

 

Too many people have given up on their dreams long ago and have just "accepted" a life that is far less than what they had envisioned.

 

Did you know that TRAVEL is one of the most remembered and most enjoyed activities that individuals and families participate in? Special trips and vacations create LIFE-LONG memories that can bring smiles on faces for years and years into the future.

 

Yet, most people never travel or they have to save for years in order to do so. Oh, they may "travel" but it's usually to visit a relative somewhere. Know what I mean?

 

Let me ask you a question: In today's blog, would you rather me talk about DEATH or LIVING LIFE? Would you rather talk about FUNERALS or FUN?

 

Now those ARE odd questions!

 

A couple of years ago I was working in the life insurance industry. Don't anyone get all worked up with what I'm going to talk about because - right up front let me say that life insurance is INDEED a needed and valuable product that should be taken advantage of by ANYONE and EVERYONE that can do so! Get it? Got it? GOOD!

 

However, I struggled with it and didn't do very well. It just wasn't me, know what I mean? Information will tell you that, even though are many successful agents that sell life insurance, most people (even though they realize and understand that they DO need it) don't want to talk about it. Think about it, they will talking about DEATH and, more specifically, their OWN death and what will happen after they are gone. Necessary? ABSOLUTELY! But not much fun to talk about.

 

So, I will leave that to others to do that part of life - or the end of it!

 

Me? I'd rather talk about "living life" and "fun"!

 

My wife, Janan, and I have recently started a travel business selling travel packages that offer incredible deals. We are determined to help get people traveling and making those life-long memories NOW while they still can. We are determined to help get people out of the house and LIVING LIFE before they can no longer do so.

 

So let me direct you to the information for YOU to consider taking advantage of this. I thank you in advance for taking a look and sharing the information with others.

 

GO HERE to access our travel Facebook page. We have a special promotion going on for all those who "LIKE" this page between now and midnight CST on Thursday, July 31, 2014. For every 100 "likes" we will be giving away one trip. That's right, 1 trip for every 100 likes! NOTICE: You must ALSO leave a comment in order to be entered into the drawing. (You can also find a couple of videos that show just how big the savings can be!).

 

GO HERE to read up on our current special promotions. Besides the promotion that I just mentioned in the above paragraph, we also have a SPECIAL PROMOTION going on for anyone that becomes a customer between now and 9:00 p.m. CST on Thursday, July 31, 2014. Check out the even BIGGER BONUS for those that are in my FIRST FIVE customers during that time period! **You can also find out about our special "referral" promotions for those who purchase a package as well as those that don't purchase a package.

 

GO HERE to check out all of our products, read some testimonials as well as see how many businesses use these trips as incentives for their employees and also as appreciation for their customers.

 

Bottom line is this: IF you feel that you are not really "living life" then ask yourself what is it going to take to change that? Get real and get serious with yourself on this and remember, "As long as there is breath, there's hope!". Every day that you are alive is a day to be LIVED. Every day that you are alive is a day to LOVE and to BE LOVED.

 

Don't forget that and, contact me if you'd like to talk about it...I'll do what I can to help!

 

And, as always, as you go about each and every day "LIVING LIFE", be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

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The POWER of ONE DAY! (part 6: The Day of Your Death)

In this series we have talked about many things. We have talked about events in history that most anyone would know due to the impact that it had in history. I talked about the assassination of John F. Kennedy but we could also talk about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

 

We have talked about the importance in understanding the IMPACT that each of us - YOU and I - have on those around us. What we do, either good or bad, positive or negative, can make all the difference in the world FOR the world of those that cross our paths every day.

 

We have discussed this idea and how it relates to the problem of bullying. I hope and pray that this part of the series, in particular, will be something that will help SOMEONE along the way.

 

In our last blog post I even talked about the POWER of the day of your BIRTH! Go back and read it if you haven't done so already.

 

As a matter of fact, if you haven't had the chance, take some time and read each of these that have been posted so that you can "feel" the thought behind everything that has been shared.

 

Now, today is going to be a little different. Today we are going to discuss the POWER of ONE DAY with that day being the day that you die.

 

Sounds morbid, I know but I hope you will stay with me and follow along with my reasoning.

 

Can I share something personal first? As I type this out on a Monday I do so following news that my Dad passed away last night. He had been battling with cancer and I got to visit with him last Tuesday. I'm not going to say much more about it but, please know that when I speak on this topic it is FRESH in my mind and in my thoughts, okay?

 

Yes, more than likely, the day that you die may be a sad day for those that know you. I mean, YOU HOPE SO, RIGHT? I have actually been to a few funerals where there were no more than two or three "mourners" which, to me, is a sad thing to see.

 

In reality, what I'm talking about is not actually the fact that the day of your death is so powerful as much as it is a marking of your LEGACY that is so powerful!

 

Did you notice that the picture of the tombstone at the top of this entry is BLANK? And so it is with your life, friend. Sure, you could go ahead and have your name and the date of your birth put on ahead of time - you know those. However, you do not know the day that you will die and, even though this is not "written" on the tombstone, what is said ABOUT you with that tombstone has not been written - or FINISHED being written - yet.

 

A person's death can do many things. I've seen many times where a person's death actually brought a family back together when there has been separation due to arguments or other division. Even if not that, a family is brought together and, even though the situation may be sad, the family gets to visit and catch up with what has been going on in the lives of those gathered.

 

Here's the main thing I want to address and I am not going to spend a lot of time on it: THE POWER OF THE DAY OF YOUR DEATH POINTS TO YOUR LEGACY!

 

There is POWER in what is possible to live on through the lives of your children and grandchildren. There is POWER in the influence that you are able to leave on and in the lives of those that you have had contact for a period of time.

 

Friend, we NEVER know the full impact of the lives that we have touched and we will NEVER know. However, this kind of influence and impact is often seen when people gather to remember one who has passed.

 

What about YOU?

 

Are you leaving a legacy of positive impact? Or are you leaving a legacy (yes, it is still a legacy) of "well, I'm glad to see him gone!"? That's sad, but it's real!

 

As I talked about in yesterday's entry, each and every day that you wake up and take a breath YOU have the chance for a "do-over". YOU have a chance to correct what may need to be changed concerning your legacy. Each and every day!

 

Every day YOU have the opportunity to allow your LEGACY to grow and expand to those that you may not ever even meet. It is called "the ripple effect".

 

Yes, the POWER of ONE DAY!

 

But do NOT miss this point. The one day that is being discussed in this post is a combination of each and every day that has come BEFORE the day of your death.

 

That's how this works.

 

I did not see eye to eye on a lot of things with my Dad. But I am thankful that my Dad - my father - instilled many strong and powerful characteristics that have served me well and have actually been passed along to my own sons.

 

And I believe they will be continued to be passed along and instilled for generations to come.

 

THAT'S AWESOME!

 

So, friend, take advantage of TODAY so that "that day" - the day of your death - will show "the POWER of ONE DAY" as those gathered remember your life that came before that final day.

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

 

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