Tim's Heart

When we got the news this week it was an absolute shock! We've never had to deal with the death of an employee before and I hope and pray it never happens again. But it brings up a question that many of us have asked before and will probably ask again, "Why do so many good people die young?"

 

Our company is small in terms of number of employees, only 12, but big on results. We deliver more than 1,000 individual orders to customers all over Southern California every single month and the delivery driver in our company who delivers the most orders every month has always been a humble 50 year old man named Tim. I can't tell you how many compliments I have received about Tim but I know why. Tim is a people person. He makes it a point to know all our customers on a first name basis and give them service beyond their normal expectations. He would always tell me how much he enjoyed his job because of the great people he got to meet and serve. He loved his job, he loved the people he worked with, and he was just about the nicest, sweetest guy you could ever meet.

 

I remember the one and only time Tim ever came to me with a problem. He was in charge of his delivery vehicle and he took great care of it, but over a two week period he noticed that somehow extra miles were being put on his van. He spoke to his supervisor who denied knowing anything and told him not to worry about it. But Tim knew something was wrong so he showed up in my office the next day with this really grave look on his face. He said he didn't want to speak out of turn or cause a problem for anyone, but somebody was driving his van in the evenings and he thought I should know about it. Turns out he was right, his supervisor was "borrowing" a company vehicle every night because his own car had broken down. The thing that sticks in my mind is how concerned Tim was about possibly getting someone in trouble or worse yet, fired. I promised Tim I would deal with the situation fairly and that nobody would get fired, but I also told him how much I appreciated his honesty and how he had the guts to speak up and do the right thing. I dealt with that situation and nobody got fired (at that time anyway) and we all moved on in life....except for Tim.

 

Tim got sick a few months ago and had to take time off. We just found out this week that he passed away unexpectedly from a rare heart condition. The doctors aren't sure what was wrong with his heart but to me it is obvious...his heart was just too big!

 

I don't know why so many good people die young. But maybe if heaven is this truly wonderful place that is totally filled with love and peace and harmony....it's just God's way of rewarding them early.

Tim....The guy with the huge heart on the far right

If my heart could do my thinking, and my head begin to feel,
I would look upon the world anew, and know what’s truly real.

~ Van Morrison

A Mother's Courage

Dear Mom,

I'm sorry that I don't call you nearly enough. I could blame it on being busy with work and my wife, kids and grandkids...and that would certainly qualify me as being busy. But even though I don't always call, I never stop thinking about you. Every day things happen that remind me of you and all things you taught me as I was growing up. And every day I'm reminded of the sacrifices you made so I could have what I needed and hopefully turn out right.

Looking back its easy to see that life was really hard for you at times. With Dad being in the Marine Corps, it meant you had to uproot our family every 12 months and move to a new location, find a new place to live, find new schools for your kids, make new friends, etc. That couldn't have been easy. And then they would send Dad overseas for a year or two at a time, leaving you alone to take care of two small kids, a dog and all the bills. Through all of those hard times though, I never remember you complaining, ever, not even once.

In fact, there was one incident when Dad was overseas that pretty much says it all. You got my sister and I dressed up one Sunday morning, in our only nice clothes, so the three of us could go to church. On the way there you saw two young boys fighting on a street corner and pulled the car over immediately. The bigger kid was sitting on top, punching the smaller boy in the face. It was awful but you reacted swiftly, running straight at them and knocking the bigger kid over, yelling at him to stop! Turns out there was a man, sitting in his car at the curb, watching the whole thing. He yells at you to stay out of it. You yell right back, "What's the matter with you? Why didn't you stop them?" I don't remember the exact words but he said something like, "My kid needs to learn how to defend himself", and you got right back in his face and told him he needed to learn how to be a better father!

Seeing you race to defend a complete stranger from harm, made me realize something. Even though Dad wasn't there, we had nothing to fear...because Mom could handle anything!

 

Maybe the hardest thing you had to handle was when you and Dad moved to San Francisco. I asked you if I could stay behind and live on my own at only 17... and you said yes. You let me leave home at a very young age and I know that must have been really hard on you. I saw your tears as I drove away, but you had the courage to let me go. Maybe you knew then you had done a good job of raising me. I didn't know it then...but I certainly know it now!

Thank you Mom....and Happy Mother's Day!

 

 

Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

~ Anonymous

 

Through A Child's Eyes

Last Wednesday my wife and I got a phone call from our six year old granddaughter. Andie Rose was super excited because she had just lost her second front teeth. It had been hanging on, flopping around for a week, but it finally fell out and she just had to call to tell us about it. I think she was so excited because now she could eat her food easier, show everybody the funny hole in her face and maybe, just maybe, get a dollar from the tooth fairy!

 

On that same Wednesday, my wife and I had lunch with a friend at Houston's Restaurant in Irvine. It's a really nice restaurant (my wife's favorite) with great food and great service but the first thing our friend mentioned when he arrived was that he had just come from the dentist. He had to endure getting a rod inserted into a tooth to help keep the tooth in place. His mouth was numb so it was hard to talk and even harder to eat and he knew for sure it going to be hurting a lot later on.

 

I guess I found it ironic. At six years old most of us are excited and happy to lose a tooth but at sixty-six we'll do anything and endure just about any pain to hang on to one of them.

 

Maybe that's partly because children look at the world differently than adults do. Children see the world with a great deal of wonder and amazement. For them the sky is really blue, the stars are really bright and water from a hose on a hot summer day is better than a brand new car.  I think children see the world as God intended us to see it. They are constantly amazed at what they see and you have to admit His creation is pretty amazing! Most of us forget to take in the beauty of the daily miracles that abound around us. Hummingbirds that appear to be standing still in mid air but then fly at over 100 mph. Cold white snow on top of a mountain in Palm Springs when the desert floor below is over 100 degrees. And the wisdom, grace and beauty of a human being who has managed to live to be over 100 years old.

I'm not saying that we should be happy about a toothache or losing a tooth, but maybe we should be fairly amazed that we even have teeth to begin with. Every moment of every day could be and should be appreciated if we remember that all of it is a blessing, created out of love, by our amazing Creator. One thing's for sure, if we look at the world through a child's eyes...it looks a lot better!




Andie Rose - Happy to lose a tooth!



I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station,

through which God speaks to us every hour, if only we will tune in.

~ George Washington Carver

Extraordinary Moments

One of my favorite things in life is to curl up on the couch with my wife and watch a good movie. I love action or sports movies and she loves romantic comedies, so obviously.... we watch a ton of romantic comedies. I know this will sound corny but I'm okay with the chick flicks because I enjoy spending time with my wife, being close, holding hands, eating chocolate and sharing a good laugh.

Last night we watched a really interesting movie called "About Time". The premise of the movie was that all the men in this one particular family had a special gift, the power to travel back in time. They could only go to past moments in their own lives, but they could relive those moments and change things if they wanted to. Of course, if they changed things in the past it affected how their life turned out in the future. The father waited until his son was about 20 years old before telling him about the special power he had and how to access it. The son was amazed with his new found power and every time he had a bad day or made a stupid mistake, he would go back in time and relive that day....without making the same mistakes. He even used his special power to correct mistakes he made while dating a beautiful young girl that he fell in love with. Eventually they got married and when they gave birth to their first child, the father explained to his son something really important. Once you have children you can't go back in time before their birth... or it may affect whether they are ever born or not. The son began to learn that he needed to use his power wisely and cautiously.

Near the end of the movie, the father develops terminal cancer. So he took his son aside and told him about the "secret" to enjoying the real magic of their special power. It was to go back and re-live each and every day after it happens, but do it with the right perspective this time, not getting overly upset over problems while enjoying and appreciating the "ordinary moments" as they happen. (I can relate to that because there have been plenty of times when I have gotten overly upset over problems that in the end turned out to be not that important.) So the son took his father's advice and started re-living each day with a new perspective.

At the end of the movie the son has an epiphany that really struck home with me. You don't need special time travel powers to find happiness! You can appreciate the extraordinary moments of an ordinary life, each and every day, if you simply realize how special each moment in life really is. The son decided he no longer needed to travel back in time and it wasn't because he didn't make mistakes, it was because he realized even the mistakes in our ordinary lives are "extraordinary moments" that we need to experience.

Rachel Mcadams and Domnahl Gleeson in "About Time"

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
~ William James

Its A Feeling (Part II)

Last week I titled my Monday Message “It’s a Feeling - Part I”. I’m writing it in two parts because the concept is just a little hard to explain in one short page. So let me see if I can finish the explanation.

 

In last week’s message I gave an example of one of my employees caring about a fellow employee and made the statement, “If we truly care about others and take the time to stop, look and listen with our hearts, people will feel the love in our hearts and in turn feel good about themselves!” So let me add to that statement, “People may forget what you say and what you do, but they will always remember how you make them feel!

 

Here is another real life example that happened two weeks ago. I went to visit some customers at a large corporation and after the business part of the meeting was over, I had an opportunity to share a story about my faith with two of the people there. My story must have touched one of them, because afterwards he showed me a simple black bracelet on his wrist with the words, “I Am Second” on it, an expression of his faith that God always comes first. I thought the bracelet was really cool and said so. Later that week, when I arrived at my office I found a simple black “I Am Second” bracelet laying on my desk, a gift from a new found friend, who took the time to listen to me. Boy, did that make me feel good!

 

But the story doesn’t end there… and it shouldn’t because I need to pay it forward. Last week I was in a huge hurry to pick up some groceries for my wife who was hosting a party that evening. I literally ran through the store and even paid cash to hurry things along. After I tossed the groceries into my truck, I ran the grocery cart over to the cart storage area and noticed a young lady standing there who works for Ralphs. She took my cart from me but was staring at my arm. She blurted out, “That’s a cool bracelet! What does it say?” By her appearance and her difficulty with speech it was obvious that she was slightly disabled, but she had this really sincere smile. So even though I was running late I stopped and showed her the bracelet and explained the meaning to her. Her smile got even bigger and she said proudly, “I know all about God and he’s good! Can I have one?” Her question took me by surprise but it made me stop and think. I answered. “Yes of course you can.” I asked her what her name was (Cally) and explained to her that I would bring her one in a few days.

 

Perhaps Cally was surprised that a stranger took time to talk with her and answer her question, but hopefully it made her feel good and realize that she truly is important. I don’t know for sure how she felt but I do know she was smiling when I left and guess what….so was I! I may have been late for the party but I learned something really important, putting someone else first before yourself is the same thing as putting God first!

 

 

Truly I tell you, whatever you do for one of the least

of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do for me.

~ Matthew 25:40

 

Its A Feeling (Part I)

Most everyone will agree that family comes first. We love our family members, so we care about them and do our best to be patient, kind and understanding. We’re even willing to sacrifice our own happiness for theirs. But then we leave and go to work where we spend the majority of our time with other people, some we barely know at all. Most of us spend more time with our co-workers then we do with our family members. So how are we supposed to treat them?

 

I have to say I feel blessed because the people I work with are awesome. Fortunately, as the owner of the company I recognize it so I try hard to treat them right. I’ve learned over the years that everyone matters and everyone deserves to be treated with respect. If we truly care about others, then we will take the time to stop, look and listen with our hearts. When we do, people will feel the love in our hearts, which in turn helps them feel good about themselves! That’s an easy gift to give and it doesn’t cost a dime.

 

A few weeks ago our Southern Region Sales Manager approached me and said he was concerned about the health of one of our delivery drivers. He said the employee had been losing a lot of weight recently and just didn’t look well. Although the driver told his fellow employees he was fine, our Sales Manager has a good heart and knew there must be something wrong. So he asked me to check on the driver. Keep in mind that salespeople have a difficult job. They have to put in a lot of extra hours and are constantly on the road, so for a salesperson to care about someone back in the warehouse that they rarely ever see…really touched me.

 

My wife (who oversees human resources) set up a meeting for us the next day and we instantly noticed how much weight this person had lost. He had been so worried about losing hours or possibly losing his job altogether that he had been afraid to say anything. It was an emotional meeting and when we suggested the employee take a few weeks off with full pay, he had tears in eyes and said his wife would be so thankful. She had been begging him to take time off and see a doctor for weeks. As it turns out, when he went to the doctor they discovered he has a very serious illness and will not be able to come back to work for many months. We assured him that when he does get well, he will have his old job waiting for him…and we let him know that it was one of his fellow employees that cared enough to say something in the first place.

 

This is only one example of people caring about each other. I can assure you there are many more, which has made me realize that we don’t have to be related to be “family members”.
 

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw.

"I just wanted to be sure of you ."

~ A. A. Milne  

 

LSI Employees share dinner and a laugh

 

Sticktoitiveness

Many years ago I made a personal commitment to try to write an inspirational Monday Message every week. My goal was to remind people about the important things in life like faith and family, honesty and integrity. But I also hoped I would be able use my faith and experience (and the many lessons I’ve learned from my mistakes) to draw people nearer to God, which I feel can ultimately bring each of us more happiness. I look at it as one small way of giving back for all the blessings I have received in my life. But it really is a pretty difficult commitment to keep every week and I even receive a fair amount of harsh criticism at times.  However, when you make a commitment like that or any commitment for that matter, I believe it’s important to do your best to stick to it! So I do my best. But…let me ask you, “What are you committed to?”

Speaking of commitments, on Wednesday this past week, my wife and I celebrated our 19^th wedding anniversary. I took the day off from work to spend it with her (because I know how important spending time together is to her) and she surprised me in a very special way. She asked me to go for a walk to pick some roses to fill a vase. I didn’t think much about it really, but as we started walking, we kept on walking and she kept on saying we need to go farther. She said we needed to go to the top of Palisades Hill, where she claimed she saw some really bright red roses. That’s a pretty long walk but I wasn’t about to object. As we approached the top of Palisades Hill we came to a Gazebo on a small look-out point where tourists can view the ocean. I stopped before we got to the gazebo because there was a man already there enjoying the view. She laughed and said that’s no man, that’s our friend Don (who happens to be a minister) and if it’s okay with you I would like to renew our vows today…with you…under this beautiful gazebo that overlooks our little beach house by the ocean.

It was a wonderful surprise that I will never forget. Don even brought champagne and we toasted our friendship as well as our marriage. Since Don knows us so well and knows how committed we are to each other, the vows he wrote for us were perfect. Some commitments are hard to keep but I have to say…my commitment to love, honor and cherish my wife is the easiest commitment I have ever made.

So this Monday Message is about making commitments and sticking to them. Whether it’s your marriage vows, your responsibilities at work, caring for your children or caring about your faith - stick to it! If you do, you will become a towering example to all those around you that no amount of criticism can ever tear down.

 

Commitment is a big part of what I am and what I believe.

How committed are you to winning?

How committed are you to being a good friend?

To being trustworthy? To being a good father,

a good teammate, a good role model?

There's that moment every morning when

you look in the mirror and ask yourself,

“Are you committed, or are you not?” 

~ Lebron James