2nd Chances

 


This is my family. My heritage. My life. They are my 62nd birthday present (which was yesterday).



Have you ever received or given a 2nd chance in life for anything? It's not just about forgiveness. Maybe it was a 2nd chance to take a test you failed, or given a 2nd chance with a person you loved. Or given a restaurant a 2nd chance because of a bad first experience.

There are so many ways that we can give and receive 2nd chances. I've had so many in my life . . .

Pam gave me a 2nd chance 44 years ago when we began dating a 2nd time; and we're now at 42.5 years and counting.

God gave my oldest daughter Jackie a 2nd chance when she was hospitalized with double pneumonia at 3 months of age. She was very close to death; but thankfully we took the advice of Nanny and rushed her to the hospital.

God gave my youngest daughter Angela a 2nd chance when Pam went into premature labor on Christmas Eve 1980. She was only 5 months old in the womb, and we are thankful the Doctors were able to surgically stop the labor. She was born 2 months later, still 5 weeks early; but with a much better chance of survival.

And then, the big one. God gave me a 2nd chance 867 days ago when I had a stroke. Most (or all) of you know that I am not ashamed to profess that I am a Christian; though far from a perfect one. This 2nd chance gave me another reason to shout it.

Having worked full time since the age of 14; today's generation has not a clue what work was. I do not say this with pride, but I did used to have pride that I was always so busy in my life. And that was not a good thing; my priorities had gotten out of balance many decades ago. Other than a few weeks of vacation each year, my life was consumed with 60-90 hours of work each week for my entire life. I am so thankful I never lost my family. 

At age 12, I was mowing yards every moment of daylight. At age 13, I was throwing a large paper route. At age 14 and 15, I was mowing yards, throwing two large paper routes 7 days a week, and washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant 3 nights a week. I learned about 'profit' and 'savings' before most of my friends even had a checking account. 

At age 16, I went to work at McDonald's, and immediately quit all my other jobs so that I could focus on my future and only work one full time job. During my Senior year, when I was elected class President of our business class; I had just received a promotion to Assistant Manager, and was earning more money than my teachers. I wish they had never told me this . . .

That work ethic continued through a variety of industries. I've spent 17 years in the food service industry, and then 14 years in the insurance industry, and now 19 years in the construction business. Yes, that adds up to 50 years of work over a 48 year period; but the 2 year variance is because of a 2 year overlap with insurance into construction; as during the transition I was doing both.

While God prospered me, and blessed me coming and going; I was still lined up for a life or death encounter.

The day of my stroke, I recommitted my life to Christ, and made several promises. 867 days later, I have not broken a single one. I promised to surrender my life daily, to never again work more than 55 hours in a week, with a goal not to exceed 50, and to take 4 vacations a year, and to 'let it go', by never working again past 7p at night. I also promised my family that they could be my accountability partners; and they too have fulfilled their end.

With my 2nd chance that God gave me; He has been faithful to multiply my time because I give it to Him first thing in the morning. I stopped tracking my hours; but if you know me at all, you know that I have a gift for numbers. 

My internal calculator tells me that I am averaging 45 hours a week; a far cry from the 75 that it used to be. And as a tool to help my with my daily devotions; I also began using over a year ago the YouVersion Bible App, and have now logged 450 days in a row using their daily devotion series. Plus, this year will total 6 vacations (personal and business) by the time it is over. I'm working less, and yet, our company will probably be very close to an all time sales record this year!

I am a blessed man. I am so thankful that I got a 2nd chance. I also know that God will give anyone a 2nd chance if they ask for one.

Do you need to forgive someone, or give someone a 2nd chance? Your boss? Your brother? Your sister? Your President? Your Pastor? Your spouse? Your best friend? Or do you need to give Jesus Himself a 2nd chance in your life?

Thank you for giving it consideration.

 

Backstage with Lauren Daigle

If you have never heard Lauren Daigle sing; it's only because you've tried hard not to, or you don't regularly listen to Christian or Pop music :-).  

Lauren burst onto the Nashville music scene approximately 5 years ago at the young age of 21.  Since then, she has had singing appearances on every late night talk show, every morning talk show, the AMA's, Ellen, and too many other shows to recall.  Her music resonates with the masses, and her crossover smash "You Say" has been #1 on billboard for a record 62 weeks in a row.

She is being compared to a modern day Amy Grant; but in my opinion, she is much more than that.

We were blessed last Friday with a gift that shall be remembered for the rest of our lives.  Our dear friends from Dallas (which we had not seen in a long time), called us to offer us VIP tickets, and backstage passes to see Lauren.

To say I jumped on the offer is an understatement.  We had already purchased tickets many months ago to attend with my daughter and her family (sorry sweetheart for dissing you on that), but we were able to quickly sell our tickets to other family members.

One of the last times that we saw our friends was at their new home in Dallas, and their son Grant was playing the piano.  He was extremely talented, and at only 8 years of age, was blowing us away with his ear for music, and his skills on the keys.

Grant has grown into an incredible young man (never a doubt that wouldn't happen), and is an extremely talented and in-demand musician; now living in Nashville.  He has been Lauren's keyboardist for the last 2 years.

Because of that relationship, it opened the doors for us to go backstage before and after Lauren's sold-out concert at the BOK.  We were treated to things that I didn't even know existed.  From the dressing rooms, to the gathering area for family members after the concert; to where the trucks and buses were handled.  But, it was after the concert, from 10:30 pm to 12:45 am that we got to know a small part of the very real Lauren. 

We were able to mingle with every band member, every back up singer, and (Ahi pronounced I; the opening act for Lauren was there too).  We were treated to a late evening Mexican buffet meal, and enjoyed breaking bread and getting to know each person on a real-life level. 

We even got to watch the 'roadies' tear down the set, and then methodically jam the 2 tractor trailer rigs full in such an OCD organized fashion that I was envious.  And after everything was over at 12:45, seeing the 32 members get ready to load onto their 2 custom buses on their way to their next concert in Austin was heartwarming as well.

Lauren's graciousness, hospitality, and true love for her art and her Lord touched my heart.  Her smiles are infectious, her hugs are genuine, and her love for our Lord Jesus is 100% authentic.

I have loved her music and voice since the 1st time I heard her sing.  This concert cemented her status with me as the real deal.  It was such a blessing to be part of her evening.

This evening shall be cherished forever.  This first picture is of Pam (my wife) and Grant Pittman.  The remaining pictures are pretty easy to figure out, and our dear friends Ron & Cindy Pittman are the last ones out with Grant.

I am a blessed man.  Always and forever.

 
 
 
 

I'm Back!

8 years ago I began blogging for fun, for relaxation, and for building a business audience, as I was writing personal blogs as well as business blogs.  In the middle of '16, after publishing almost 200 personal and 200 business blogs over a 5 year period; I stopped.

Why? Not really sure.

So..., allow me please to provide you with a recap of my life since then.  This will most definitely be a "Reader's Digest" version.

In 2016, we built our home for the Parade of Homes; and moved into it in July.  It was an exhaustive process, as we took a 9-12 month build window, and completed the task in 8.5 months.  I'm still thankful for all the wonderful craftsmen and artisans that allowed me to push them to the brink in order to meet the deadline for the Parade.  That was probably what led to me stop blogging, as my tank was empty.

My Mom had died of cancer the previous August, and Dad was still dealing with a lot of grief.  On a separate note, it's now been 4 years, Dad is doing very well at 89, and just returned last week from a 17 day trip to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

I'm rocking along, building a business, getting more involved in our church, accepting a volunteer leadership position with the HBA, and being elected to the Board of Directors for the NAHB.  There was still time left for family and vacations, but my life was too busy.  That was about to change though.

June 5, 2017 started like any other day.  And then ~ I had a stroke.  Talk about turning your world upside down.  I am eternally thankful for my complete healing, and for Pam as she nursed me through multiple nerve-related surgeries, and a recovery that lasted till late November.  Almost 2.5 years later, I'm still dealing with some nerve pain, and do not have the grip strength in my wrists to weight lift like I had previously done, but other than that, have made a complete recovery.  Then...

In July of 2018, Pam contracted C Diff and was within a few days/weeks of dying before the Doctors finally found out what she had, and all the treatments required.  Now it was my turn for over a year to help nurse Pam back to full health.  She too is fully healed now, but almost 1.5 years later, she is still not back to the gym 3-5 days a week like she had been her entire life.  She will make it back, we just don't know how much longer.

Plus, 2018-2019 has been a period of multiple deaths in my circle; losing 2 friends, 2 business associates, and a dear Aunt.  Plus, I've got 2 other friends battling their lives against cancer.  It's been a rough stretch.
 
Also, in July of 2018, we received devastating financial news from one of our daughter's and I'll not cover any of those details.  But, it has been a year of heartache, pain, and healing; which ultimately caused them to move away 2 weeks ago.  We're definitely not over it, but with God's grace, we will be soon.

The picture of me shown above was taken 2 years ago, one day after I turned 60.  Other than being 12 lbs. lighter, I still look the same :-).

Closing out 2019 is chock full of things.  I've got a Board of Directors meeting in NOLA in 2 weeks, then my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving) is just around the corner.  We've got a Christmas week scheduled in Branson with family.  Plus, on Dec. 6th, I'll be installed as the 2020 President for the Tulsa HBA.  And, in January, Pam will be traveling for 2 weeks separate from me, as I'll be in Vegas for another week of Board meetings.

I am a blessed man.  Married now for 42.5 years, with my incredible daughters Jackie (40) and Angela (38) happily married too.  The world's 4 most amazing grandchildren ranging in age from 11 to 14 bless my life daily.  

I love my Lord, my family, and my heritage.  Thank you Jesus for giving me a 2nd chance.

I hope you choose to "Follow Me" on my blogs, as I promise they are fun, and I've got a great one almost finished on Lauren Daigle that will be posted in 1-2 days.

Bye for now! 
   

Owen Michael: My Gentle Giant

When most people (including myself) think of a child in kindergarten, they think of a small young child barely out of diapers, and not of a child that can pass as a 3rd grader.

On the left is my precious Owen Michael (aka Caveman, Romeo, Casanova, o'Mike, and now also the Gentle Giant), as he is enjoying his outside field day.  His friend on the right is our typical normal sized kindergartner.

Yesterday, Romeo celebrated with Jackie at their special Mother's Day celebration at school.  Jackie is 5'3" tall.  Kind of odd to see her youngest son just shy of her shoulders, and Jackie is in boots which makes her 5'5" in this picture.

This is one of killer Casanova's many young girl friends.  I forget her name, but at ball games, they are virtually inseparable, and she is gorgeous.  Football, basketball, baseball; he could care less about the games, as his focus is "off the field".  If you want to find Owen, just look for the prettiest little girls.  They will be next to him.  Guaranteed.

With another young friend from his class, playing some kind of game.  Owen is the life of the party.  It starts when he enters the room.  Standing a full head taller than all of his classmates, our clown prince has the charm to engage everyone around him.  He has such an awesome personality to go with his great looks.

And here is Owen with his big brother 3rd grader Will Parker, whom is not a shortie either, but hard to believe that there is 2.5 years separating them in age.  Owen is as tall or taller than half of WP's 3rd grade classmates.

I love you Owen Michael.  You make me laugh and smile whenever I am with you.  I love your personality.  Since you were 2, I have predicted (as numerous blogs will attest), that you will be 6'5" tall, which is 2" taller than your Uncle Daniel.

However, after now seeing these pictures, I might have to rethink that, as you could very easily end up at 6'8".  And if I can convince you to play baseball, wow, I would love to be your Agent to help you negotiate your $50 million dollar pitching deal for the KC Royals. :-)

I am a blessed man.

McDonald's Breakfast

I enjoy McDonald's breakfast sandwiches 3-4 mornings a week.  Their hash brown though (they stole the idea from Arby's) is crap; and I have no idea why a mega-trillion dollar company would not have upgraded that poc by now.

Of course, these are their world famous French fries.  Just recently, I went in for breakfast really late at 10:35 in the morning.  They serve fries at 10:30.  Not at 10:29, as then you can only get the poc hash brown with your breakfast sandwich.

I read in the WSJ that McD sales are way up from adding all day breakfast.  Seems a simple fix to me that their sales would go up even more if they sold fries all day too, and got rid of their Arby's potato wedge.

This is the way breakfast should be; with french fries, and not that hash brown thing. :-)

Emma Jo (Spaz)

This is Emma Jo, my youngest granddaughter.  She told me that she wore boots for this photo because "I like your boots Pappy", and then when I told her how pretty she looked in blue, she said "I wore blue for you Pappy because blue is your favorite color."

With comments like that, how can any Pappy worth his salt not just melt under her spell?

My oh my, my grandchildren know how to steal my heart!  And I love it . . .

As you probably remember, I love to cook; the more fancy and complicated the better.  For the last 2 years though, I have been so overly busy in my life, that I am lucky to cook one fancy meal a month (not counting grilling).

Last Sunday night, we had the girls over for dinner, and Emma Jo took the opportunity to decorate my unused menu board.  Emma loves art, to draw, to color, to be creative.  But, she also loves math (and appears to be great at it), which is a true dichotomy to loving art and creativity as the two of those rarely mix and are in great contrast to each other.

Upon seeing her art board, my 'hart' leapt, and it was time again to lavish multiple kisses upon those precious little lips and cheeks. (Emma Jo loves to kiss me too), and don't you know that that is just pure torture for me . . . :-)

She was laying on the floor coloring, and I made the comment to Nini "she is almost 42", and without missing a beat, Emma Jo said "so she's 41", and I didn't even know she was listening. 

Then later on, she was sitting in my lap and I was teaching her how to play WWF; which is a fun and highly analytical game of letters.  In less than 5 minutes, she had found 10 word combos on the board, and then when she saw this line up in this order:  K U L Y, she said "we only need a C, and we could spell LUCKY", to which I said "Wow Spaz, you saw that! That's great, you are absolutely correct."

I love you  Emma Jo with all of my hart!

I am a blessed man.

If I Were The Devil: Please Share

In 1965, Paul Harvey broadcast “If I Were The Devil.”  It is amazing that over 50 years ago how accurately he “prophesied” the future spiritual condition of the United States. 

Many of his statements were considered ridiculously outlandish at that time in history.  Yet, here is where we are and find ourselves today in 2016, with astonishing 100% accuracy of everything that has come true since his broadcast . . .

PAUL HARVEY’S ‘IF I WERE THE DEVIL’ 
 
"If I were the devil … If I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness.  And I’d have a third of it’s real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — Thee.

So I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States.  I’d subvert the churches first — I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: ‘Do as you please’, there are no rules, especially with sex and whom you have it with, or of which of the sexes you have it with, even if it is both.

To the young, I would whisper that ‘The Bible is a myth.’  I would convince them thru schools, cultural warping, rewriting the history of America's founders, and the media that man created God instead of the other way around.  I would confide that what’s bad is good, and that what’s good is ‘bad.’  And for the old and older, I would teach them to pray after me, ‘Our Father, which art in Washington, give me this day my daily bread…’

And then I’d get organized.  I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting.  I’d spice up TV with dirty movies, 100's of unfiltered channels, and vice versa.  I’d pedal narcotics to whom I could.  I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction.  I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the devil I’d soon have families at war with themselves with 2/3rd's of marriages ending in divorce, 4/5th's of children raised in broken homes and paid child care, and not stop until churches were at war with themselves, and nations were at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed by each other.  I would make sure that this would lead to the acceptance of 100's of millions of babies able to be legally murdered before they could be born.

I would wreck the economy by having politicians trap corporations with the need for higher profit, and I'd create runaway inflation, an uncountable national debt, and the inability of Dad to provide for his family financially without Mom also working full time.

And with promises of higher ratings I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.  If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions — no, just let those run wild, no more corporal punishment in school or at the home, until before you knew it, children would be shooting children, adults would be shooting children, and you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.

Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing, I’d have judges promoting pornography — and then soon after I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress.

And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and deify science.  I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money, and would have adultery running rampant between the pulpit and the pews.  I would make it look like the people that go to church are no different in life than the ones that don't.

If I were the devil I’d make the symbols of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a fat man in a red suit, commercialized, and hated by the time it arrived each year.

If I were the devil I’d take from those who have, and give to those that want until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious to create a society of socialism.  And what do you bet that I could get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich by promising better schools?

I would caution against extremes and hard work and patriotism and moral conduct.  I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging single from night to night is more fun, that what you see from women on magazines, in movies, and on the TV is the way to be.

I would promote multi-culturalism and alternative lifestyles as the norm, and would entice people to coexist and live in peace and harmony with drugs, mysticism, and to love the earth, and to listen to trees. 

And thus I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed each night with new diseases for which there is no cure.

In other words, if I were the devil I’d just keep right on doing on what he’s doing.

Paul Harvey, good day.”