Reflections of the 'PASSED'

Well, summer is over, the kids are back in school and my time of reflection is about to come to an end as I look to begin my next career. Still not sure what it will be, but it is time to begin looking diligently. That being said, over the next week or so, I will be sharing my summer thoughts and what I have gleaned from this time of my life.

Let's begin with the summer's big family vacation. With Kayla probably attending summer classes next year at Auburn, this may have been our last chance for a true family vacation. We loaded up and traveled to New York City for our first visit ever to this major metropolis. We'll talk about the actual vacation later, but now let's discuss the theme of this city. No matter where you went and what story was being relayed, the talk of the Babe and Yankee Stadium being torn down was somewhere in the discussion. The words, legacy, legend, favorite son and house that Ruth built were staples in the talks of the locals. Amazingly enough, no one spoke of the Mets Stadium being torn down. (Both teams will have new stadiums next season)

Shea Stadium is one of the oldest stadiums in the National League and hosted those Miracle Mets of 69 that featured Ron Swoboda and a young Nolan Ryan. These people get no fanfare in the city even though Swoboda actually finished his career as a Yankee. No, the talk is of the Babe and his first homerun in Yankee Stadium which actually won the game and helped the Yankees to beat the Babe's former team, the Red Sox.

This hard throwing, hard hitting, and hard partying man was the talk of the town in the twenties and because of the draw that he had with fans, the Yankees were able to build their own stadium.

Yankee Stadium - The House that Ruth Built - The Cathedral of Baseball

The Babe was a prolific player and his place in sports history is sometimes used to describe players in other sports as they are called the Babe Ruth of ______________. His exploits on the field, were matched by his exploits off the field with charities and also his ambassadorship for the game of baseball overseas. These are the things spoken by those that talk of him. Occasionally they mention his cavorting, his three marriages and his two daughters.

Babe died in 1948. His homerun record was broken in 1974. Since then, the Babe has dropped to third on the all-time list with Bonds breaking Hank's record. Now his stadium is being torn down.

So now comes the beginning of reflection......

What is or will be my Legacy? As the old 4-Him song asked, "When I am gone, what will they say?"

Seventeen years with a company is a long time nowadays. I can say that the time off has been nice, but it leaves you wondering what next? During this time, life has had it's ups and downs, and I have faced some of the lowest moments of my life. However, I believe the last 6 years I was exactly where God wanted me as he dealt with me. While I always wanted to be known as one of the best District Manager's, or at least be respected of my peers, now I just pray that my witness was what it was to be during this time. I pray that in those times when there was a loss of a loved one, I was the support or strength that they could count on. That in sickness, they knew that I was a constant they could rely upon for prayer and visiting as time allowed. And in that moment, when they just needed a friend, they could trust me to listen and be there. Those are the things most important in life. It's not about what you do in business, but are you always about the Father's business?

What is your Legacy? What will they say about you? More to come......

- 4 Him Lyrics