Extraordinary

Earlier this week I was with a couple of buddies when one of them said something interesting. He said, “Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because we get to be with people we love, hang out, eat good food, and watch football…and we don’t gotta screw around buying stupid presents.” Okay, so his grammar wasn’t perfect, but he made a good point. The things we are most thankful for don’t come wrapped with a bow...and I find that kind of extraordinary.

For almost 49 years now I have gotten up early every day and jumped into a truck. I head out onto a freeway loaded with thousands of other 3000-pound missiles driving 70+ miles per hour to get who knows where. I’ve seen some bad accidents and I’ve had a few mishaps (one that was life changing) but I have always made it home safe and sound. For that I am thankful… and I find it extraordinary.

For many years I worked at an office filled with people who are true heroes. I constantly watched the people I worked with show up early, stay late, and work as if they owned the business themselves. They were determined to provide a better life for their families, and they didn’t compromise their integrity to do it. I was honored to be on their team and thankful for their inspiration…and I found it extraordinary.

Still to this day, I come home to my own loving family. For years I was able to tuck my four children into bed, often carrying the youngest on my shoulders. Most nights I would say their prayers with them and then peek into their rooms after they fell asleep. Their faces always looked so precious and peaceful as I pulled their covers up and remembered how blessed I am to be called “Dad”. How a clumsy, forgetful chump like me could ever be blessed with four such awesome children (and now seven grandchildren) I don’t know. But I do know one thing, I am very thankful…and I find it extraordinary.

Even more surprising is how each and every night I get to end up in the arms of the most beautiful and loving wife a man could ever want. She is everything I ever dreamed of (and I dreamed a lot when I was young). But she deserves a much better-looking man than me and yet she tells me I am her prince and her warrior, and she makes me believe it. She makes me want to be the best I can be and for that I am very thankful…and I find it (and her) extremely extraordinary.

In addition, for a few minutes each day I get to sit down with a really good book. It’s a book that was created by the One who created me and blessed me with my life on this earth. I am honored to hold that book in my hands, so I try hard to focus on the words, soak in their meaning, and learn how to live in a way that honors Him. To have a Creator who will patiently await my personal development is something I am definitely thankful for…and I find it more than just extraordinary.

Tomorrow morning I will do it again. I will get into the same truck, go do the same job, call on the same customers, read the same Bible, and crawl into bed with the same awesome woman. And yet I couldn’t be more thankful for all of it… and I definitely don’t need a bow on any of it! Extraordinary!

If the only prayer you ever said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. 

                                                                                       ~ Meister Eckhart                                                            

I Believe

Last week I wrote about a friend of mine who lost a kidney. Well, he didn’t really lose a kidney, he gifted it to someone in need… and potentially saved his life! This week I would like to write about another amazing friend of mine who also lost something… his life.

Let’s call him Robert (because that’s his actual real name) and let me start off again by saying that I admire Robert very much, especially for the way he worked so hard to serve others. Robert was a loving father and a devoted husband. Unfortunately his four children were still very young when he passed away, but yet he had already accomplished a great deal of good in the world. He owned a very successful law firm, served on local City Councils, and was the Mayor of Laguna Niguel. Robert was also President of the Laguna Niquel Military Support Foundation, helped launch the Bonner Institute for the advancement of Choral Music, and was Chairman of the Board of Stoneybrooke Christian Schools. He was also extremely active in his church and incredibly somehow found time to write and publish an exciting novel called “Awakening the Solider”. Like I said, Robert accomplished a great deal of good in his short lifetime, primarily serving others.

Sadly, Robert lost his life in a single engine plane crash. He was the pilot, the only one on board.

At Robert’s funeral his wife handed out a thank you letter to every person that attended. The letter included Robert’s own personal “Faith Statement”. I came across that letter this past week and re-read it once again. It is clear, concise, inspiring, and quite profound. In fact, so profound that it inspired me to write my own “Faith Statement”. Robert may have lost his life on this earth, but his spirit lives on in the many people he served and cared about… like me.

 Joe’s Faith Statement

I believe that God is the true essence of love and that He created us out of love, in his image. Therefore, the best way for me to honor God is to do my best to love and serve others. I know it can be hard at times. Life itself is really hard at times. But I am okay with that because struggles strengthen my character, and when I fail I usually learn, grow, and become a better person. More importantly, my deep and abiding connection with God assures me that He is always with me and will never leave me. I believe that to know God is to experience truth, love, and happiness.

My Amazing Friend Robert

Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn overcomes the night.

~ Joseph Thrailkill

Human Kindness

I see a lot of commercials on TV advertising movies with superheroes. They are eye catching and exciting, but what really caught my eye was a clever commercial on TV this week that was all about human kindness. I have to admit that there are times I feel like human kindness is something hard to find. But then again, last week a friend of mine proved to me that it is definitely alive and well.

Let’s call him Roger (not his real name) and let me start off by saying that I admire Roger very much. Why? Well, he’s a good father and a great husband. A real family man and extremely active in his church. He’s somebody who has worked hard all his life but has also made sure to carve out time to coach and mentor young people. I guess those traits alone are admirable for sure, but his other endearing gift is his quick wit and never-ending sense of humor. When we golf together, he keeps us all laughing and smiling no matter how crappy our golf swings might be.

But recently, Roger had a calling that most people would never answer. He found out someone that he knows, not a family member or even a close friend, needed a kidney. Roger is in his sixties, but he is still healthy and strong… and his faith is stronger than ever. So he signed up, showed up, endured the surgery, and saved a stranger’s life.

And that got me thinking… The real heroes in this world are actual real humans who get their superpower from the size of their heart! (Or in this case, their kidney!)

It is in the heart that the values lie.

~ Mark Twain