Bernice and Harold

On the back of my business card are printed three words...Honesty, Integrity and Respect. In fact those words are on the back of every business card of every person at our company for a very good reason; They are the core values that we believe in and strive to emulate. But that's easier said than done in today's crazy fast paced, high stress society, especially when it comes to "Respect".

 

Fortunately I was raised by parents who not only taught me about respect for all people, they also showed a great deal of respect for each other. My Mom was a really strong woman who was raised in a tough part of town. Her Dad died when she was young and I have a feeling she wasn't always treated with the respect she deserved. So she taught me that if I wanted to create a good life for myself I would have to work hard, be honest and always treat everyone I meet with respect. My Dad was a Captain in the Marine Corps so obviously his views on respect were deeply ingrained. I used to love the way the soldiers at the Marine Base would salute my Dad as he entered the main gate and I would get goose bumps as he fired back a strong salute to each and every one of them in return. That to me was respect on display...in a big way!

 

Last Wednesday my wife and I went to Pepino's Restaurant in Lake Forest for lunch. We parked in the lot and as I opened the car door for her she thanked me for bringing her to one of her favorite places for lunch. We walked in, got a table and enjoyed a nice break from the busy work day, laughing an, smiling as we held hands at the table, which is just something we always do. We are still very much in love after 20 years of marriage and simply enjoy being together very much. No matter what we do, we always seem to prefer to do it together.

 

As we finished our lunch, an elderly lady walked over to our table and stood there smiling at us. We looked up and she said, "My name is Bernice and I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy seeing two people who obviously love and respect each other so much. I noticed your husband opened the car door for you, held your hand on the way in, pulled out your chair for you and continues to hold your hand even at the restaurant table. That kind of chivalry and respect is rare these days. Why...my husband Harold used to do the same thing for me all the time. I'm almost 80 years old now and although we were married more than 56 years, we showed each other love and respect every single day of our lives. Harold died two years ago, so I miss him more than I can say, but seeing you two together today reminded me so much of the magical marriage we had. Thank you for reminding me how special life is when you love and respect your spouse...and they do the same for you. It brought back so many good memories for me!"

 

Bernice was obviously a very special lady and as she left the restaurant we couldn't stop smiling. We realized that we had inadvertently made someone's day a little bit better by simply giving each other the gift of love and respect....and I'll tell you one thing...that's a gift that's a whole lot cheaper than lunch!

Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners. 

 ~ Laurence Sterne  

 

Chivalry isn't dead yet!