There was a recent story in the news that will tug on the heart strings of everyone with a pulse and bring tears to your eyes. The story illustrates the love that a man had for his family and the extent to which he would go to provide for them even if it cost him his very life.
James Kim, an editor for C-Net News, a technology website, went on vacation with his wife and infant daughter in the hills of Oregon in the midst of a bad winter. On the way back from vacation, the Kim family made a wrong turn and ended up getting lost. This wrong turn would end up being a fatal mistake. With the roads covered with snow and getting worse by the hour, they ended being stuck in the snow with no where to go. As they sat freezing in the car, they could turn the car on for brief moments to heat up the car before eventually burning all of their gas. Days went by and the family remained stranded with no hope of being rescued. Desperate time calls for desperate measures so James Kim set out on a journey that he hoped would save his family even if it was at the ultimate cost. With his wife and young daughter in the car, James decided to embark on a journey to get help. His family was freezing, starving, and desperately in need of help and it was up to him to provide. He walked and walked and walked ... for miles and miles and miles ... surrounded by bears, hoping to reach a nearby town to bring much needed refuge for his family. Unfortunately, with the weather conditions as they were, James ended up walking in a big 10 mile circle and ultimately never making it to that town. With the freezing weather conditions, the fatigue from walking 10 miles, the many days without food or water, James eventually succumbed to these conditions. James Kim set out on a journey to save his family and ultimately made the ultimate sacrifice.
James' efforts, however, were not done in vain and there is a lesson in his sacrifice for us all. As James embarked on his journey, plowing through the snow in the Oregon hills, walking in a huge circle, he left a trail, he left a path, he left an imprint in the snow that would ultimately lead rescuers to the point where his wife and young child were stranded. The trail blazed by this loving husband and father, provided a path that lead rescuers to his stranded family. His family was found safe and alive. James, however, was found days later face-down in a creek, his body having succumbed to the adverse conditions.
The love that James Kim had for his family lead him on a desperate journey to provide for them. This journey left a trail that ultimately lead to their survival. The lesson in the life and ultimate sacrifice of James Kim is this. As we live our lives, we must live them in such a way that we blaze a trail. We must strive to go where no man has gone before. We must strive to do what no man was ever done before. We must set forth a path that is worthy of being followed. In the case of James Kim, the trail that he blazed saved his family at a high cost. That is the ultimate sacrifice for a loving husband and father.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
With You ...
"Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
When you started drinking in the evening, I was with you.
When you went to the party, I was with you.
When you stopped drinking at 1:30am, I was with you.
When you started your drive home, I was with you.
When you ran that stop sign, I was with you.
When that cop saw you run the stop sign, I was with you.
When the cop pulled you over, I was with you.
When the cop smelled alcohol on your breath, I was with you.
When the cop asked you step out of the truck, I was with you.
When the cop asked you to perform the tests, I was with you.
When you passed the tests, I was with you.
When the cop couldn't make up his mind and called another cop, I was with you.
When the 2nd cop asked you to perform more tests, I was with you.
When you passed ... well ... MOST of those tests, I was with you.
When the cops had their 5 minute discussion to decide what to do, I was with you.
When the cops decided to arrest you, I was with you.
In the 2 and 1/2 hours that it took the cops to convince themselves that they "had to get this one", I WAS WITH YOU !!
As you called your brother to come and get your truck before it got impounded, I was with you.
As your brother hurried to beat the tow-truck to the scene, I was with you.
WHEN your brother beat the tow-truck to the scene, I was with you.
As you rode silently in the back of the squad car, I was with you.
As you pondered on whether or not to take the breathalizer, I was with you.
As you recalled advice from lawyer friends NOT to take the breathalizer, I was with you.
As you got booked at the station, I was with you.
As you jotted down the necessary phone numbers from your cell phone, I was with you.
As you called your boy at 5am Sunday morning and he answered the phone, I was with you.
As your boy communicated the situation to your brother, I was with you.
As you sat for hours and hours in that holding cell, I was with you.
As your boy waited by the phone for each of your calls, I was with you.
As your boy, your brother, and his wife worked out the plan, I was with you.
When your sister-in-law met a good friend several years ago, I was with you.
When that friend met a good lawyer years ago, I was with you.
When your sister-in-law called that friend asking for a good lawyer, I was with you.
When she called that lawyer's office, I was with you.
When that lawyer's representative drafted the documents to get you out, I was with you.
When you were one of the first to get out that morning, I was with you.
When you hurt your knee years ago playing basketball, I was with you.
When you had surgery on that knee, I was with you.
When years of basketball caused wear and tear on your feet, I was with you.
When you went to see a doctor about this pain in both feet, I was with you.
When the doctor prescribed treatment, I was with you.
When you unknowingly piled up this evidence as to why you were physically unable to properly perform the tests that the police asked you to perform, I was with you.
As you met face to face with the lawyer for the first time, I was with you.
As the lawyer asked you about past injuries, I was with you.
As you remembered that you had documented record of these foot injuries, I was with you.
As the lawyer mentally began to build your defense, I was with you.
As you arrived in court, I was with you.
When you were one of the few able to afford a good lawyer, I was with you.
When your lawyer mentioned that the judge was a big Houston Astros fan, I was with you.
When the Astros made a big trade the day before, I was with you.
When you inadvertently heard the details of the trade the day before, I was with you.
When the judge did not hear the details of the trade the day before, I was with you.
When the judge asked you the details of the trade and you recalled, I was with you.
When this lead to you, the judge, and the lawyer having friendly chatter about baseball, I was with you.
When you were humanized in the eyes of those that would determine your fate, I was with you.
When you and your lawyer walked across the street for your license revocation hearing, I was with you.
When you and your lawyer arrived on time to see a group of cops waiting to testify, I was with you.
When you looked around the room and didn't see any of your cops, I was with you.
When you waited and waited and waited in the hearing room and still no sign of your cop, I was with you.
When the time came to hear your case and STILL no cop, I was with you.
When the state representative asked for the case to be rescheduled, I was with you.
When your lawyer provided sufficient evidence why the case should NOT be rescheduled, I was with you.
When the judge agreed with the evidence provided by your lawyer that there was not sufficient reason for the case to be rescheduled, I was with you.
When the judge motioned for the license revocation case to be dismissed, I was with you.
When your lawyer met the prosecuting attorney 20 years ago, I was with you.
When your lawyer and the prosecuting attorney remained friends over the years, I was with you.
When your lawyer presented the evidence to the prosecuting attorney, I was with you.
When the prosecuting attorney opened his mind to the evidence, I was with you.
When the prosecuting attorney opted to pursue a much lesser charge than the dreaded DWI, I was with you.
When the final terms of the resolution of your case are to be decided, THEN TOO I WILL BE WITH YOU !!
"Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
- Joshua 1:9
When you started drinking in the evening, I was with you.
When you went to the party, I was with you.
When you stopped drinking at 1:30am, I was with you.
When you started your drive home, I was with you.
When you ran that stop sign, I was with you.
When that cop saw you run the stop sign, I was with you.
When the cop pulled you over, I was with you.
When the cop smelled alcohol on your breath, I was with you.
When the cop asked you step out of the truck, I was with you.
When the cop asked you to perform the tests, I was with you.
When you passed the tests, I was with you.
When the cop couldn't make up his mind and called another cop, I was with you.
When the 2nd cop asked you to perform more tests, I was with you.
When you passed ... well ... MOST of those tests, I was with you.
When the cops had their 5 minute discussion to decide what to do, I was with you.
When the cops decided to arrest you, I was with you.
In the 2 and 1/2 hours that it took the cops to convince themselves that they "had to get this one", I WAS WITH YOU !!
As you called your brother to come and get your truck before it got impounded, I was with you.
As your brother hurried to beat the tow-truck to the scene, I was with you.
WHEN your brother beat the tow-truck to the scene, I was with you.
As you rode silently in the back of the squad car, I was with you.
As you pondered on whether or not to take the breathalizer, I was with you.
As you recalled advice from lawyer friends NOT to take the breathalizer, I was with you.
As you got booked at the station, I was with you.
As you jotted down the necessary phone numbers from your cell phone, I was with you.
As you called your boy at 5am Sunday morning and he answered the phone, I was with you.
As your boy communicated the situation to your brother, I was with you.
As you sat for hours and hours in that holding cell, I was with you.
As your boy waited by the phone for each of your calls, I was with you.
As your boy, your brother, and his wife worked out the plan, I was with you.
When your sister-in-law met a good friend several years ago, I was with you.
When that friend met a good lawyer years ago, I was with you.
When your sister-in-law called that friend asking for a good lawyer, I was with you.
When she called that lawyer's office, I was with you.
When that lawyer's representative drafted the documents to get you out, I was with you.
When you were one of the first to get out that morning, I was with you.
When you hurt your knee years ago playing basketball, I was with you.
When you had surgery on that knee, I was with you.
When years of basketball caused wear and tear on your feet, I was with you.
When you went to see a doctor about this pain in both feet, I was with you.
When the doctor prescribed treatment, I was with you.
When you unknowingly piled up this evidence as to why you were physically unable to properly perform the tests that the police asked you to perform, I was with you.
As you met face to face with the lawyer for the first time, I was with you.
As the lawyer asked you about past injuries, I was with you.
As you remembered that you had documented record of these foot injuries, I was with you.
As the lawyer mentally began to build your defense, I was with you.
As you arrived in court, I was with you.
When you were one of the few able to afford a good lawyer, I was with you.
When your lawyer mentioned that the judge was a big Houston Astros fan, I was with you.
When the Astros made a big trade the day before, I was with you.
When you inadvertently heard the details of the trade the day before, I was with you.
When the judge did not hear the details of the trade the day before, I was with you.
When the judge asked you the details of the trade and you recalled, I was with you.
When this lead to you, the judge, and the lawyer having friendly chatter about baseball, I was with you.
When you were humanized in the eyes of those that would determine your fate, I was with you.
When you and your lawyer walked across the street for your license revocation hearing, I was with you.
When you and your lawyer arrived on time to see a group of cops waiting to testify, I was with you.
When you looked around the room and didn't see any of your cops, I was with you.
When you waited and waited and waited in the hearing room and still no sign of your cop, I was with you.
When the time came to hear your case and STILL no cop, I was with you.
When the state representative asked for the case to be rescheduled, I was with you.
When your lawyer provided sufficient evidence why the case should NOT be rescheduled, I was with you.
When the judge agreed with the evidence provided by your lawyer that there was not sufficient reason for the case to be rescheduled, I was with you.
When the judge motioned for the license revocation case to be dismissed, I was with you.
When your lawyer met the prosecuting attorney 20 years ago, I was with you.
When your lawyer and the prosecuting attorney remained friends over the years, I was with you.
When your lawyer presented the evidence to the prosecuting attorney, I was with you.
When the prosecuting attorney opened his mind to the evidence, I was with you.
When the prosecuting attorney opted to pursue a much lesser charge than the dreaded DWI, I was with you.
When the final terms of the resolution of your case are to be decided, THEN TOO I WILL BE WITH YOU !!
"Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
- Joshua 1:9
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
The ideal workday
Most of us have dreams of retiring early and being able to spend ample time with friends and family and other things that we like. Most people want to get out of that corporate job that has them up at 5am, scrambling around with the kids til 6am, drop off the kids at 7am, in traffic til 8am, at work until 6pm, in traffic until 7pm, brief family time until 8pm, do more work until 10pm, intimate time with your spouse until 10:30pm (if it's a good day), to bed by 11pm, then up again at 5am, ... and so the cycle continues. Man was not meant to live like that. We weren't born to be caged up in little cubicles all day long working long hours and giving away half of our pay in taxes. We weren't meant to have to settle for 30 minutes-1 hour of family time weekly while our relationships with our children and spouse suffer. This is simply not the ideal workday.
You see, most people don't have a problem with working or with working hard for that matter. Most people have a problem with working hard long hours at something that they are not passionate about and were not born to do and does not fulfill them. I believe everyone in life deserves to be able to do something that they are truly passionate about. As I've heard dozens of successful entrepreneurs say, find something you are passionate about and learn how to turn that passion into profits. Long hours do not seem quite as long when you are working off passion rather than chasing that carrot ... or paycheck, as most of us call it.
The ideal workday should entail ample time spent on your passions. We should be passionate about our business related endeavors and likewise be passionate about our family. Our days should be flexible enough where we get 2-3 hours of family time each day in the midst of pursuing our business passions. If we need to take an hour away from business in the middle of a workday to go and see our little girl in a school play, we should be able to. If we need to take a couple hours to help our son grasp some difficult Math concepts, we should be able to. We should not be slaves to the alarm clock, the traffic report, the 1 hour lunch, the 2 weeks vacation, the 10 hour work days EVERY DAY, and all of these other ills of the corporate lifestyle. Whether our business passions involve music, entertainment, real estate, education, or all of the above, we should be able to exercise our full efforts in these passions while still being able to place full emphasis on our ultimate passion, which is quality with friends, family, and other loved ones. NOW THAT is the ideal workday.
You see, most people don't have a problem with working or with working hard for that matter. Most people have a problem with working hard long hours at something that they are not passionate about and were not born to do and does not fulfill them. I believe everyone in life deserves to be able to do something that they are truly passionate about. As I've heard dozens of successful entrepreneurs say, find something you are passionate about and learn how to turn that passion into profits. Long hours do not seem quite as long when you are working off passion rather than chasing that carrot ... or paycheck, as most of us call it.
The ideal workday should entail ample time spent on your passions. We should be passionate about our business related endeavors and likewise be passionate about our family. Our days should be flexible enough where we get 2-3 hours of family time each day in the midst of pursuing our business passions. If we need to take an hour away from business in the middle of a workday to go and see our little girl in a school play, we should be able to. If we need to take a couple hours to help our son grasp some difficult Math concepts, we should be able to. We should not be slaves to the alarm clock, the traffic report, the 1 hour lunch, the 2 weeks vacation, the 10 hour work days EVERY DAY, and all of these other ills of the corporate lifestyle. Whether our business passions involve music, entertainment, real estate, education, or all of the above, we should be able to exercise our full efforts in these passions while still being able to place full emphasis on our ultimate passion, which is quality with friends, family, and other loved ones. NOW THAT is the ideal workday.
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