The Masters Golf Tournament (in my opinion) is the most special sporting event of all time. It has been said that the grounds at August National is the most well-manicured piece of real estate that exists in the United States. I have been there and do not doubt it is true.

A family member of mine (Spooky Craddock) and our wives were having lunch recently and the topic of the Masters always seems to come up around this time of year. He has been invited to play the course many times and I have only thought about playing the course many times. Ha

Augusta National operates as an absolute dictatorship. If you think about it, it almost has to be, given that its members are some the most powerful and recognized people in the world. Presidents, CEO’s, politicians, athletes, corporate leaders etc. If every decision was up for discussion and a vote, can you imagine? Therefore, the Chairman of August National makes all decisions, and every decision is final. I do not know if this happened once or if it happens all the time, but the chairman some time ago opened the business meeting with his financial report. He said, “last year we made more money than we spent.” That was the end of the business meeting. No handouts, no questions, no opinions. Just a simple statement and that was it. Ha

Two stories Spooky told me that may give you some perspective on Augusta National and how it operates – Some years ago when Clifford Roberts was the chairman (he served 45 years as the chairman) they had admitted a new member. During the business meeting this new member began to ask a lot of financial questions about income, staffing and various expenses etc. After the business meeting, the new member went out and played a round of golf. Clifford Roberts met the new member on the 18^th green and ask him if he enjoyed his round. “oh yes, it was great.” he said. Clifford Roberts told him he was glad and told the new member that he was no longer a member of Augusta National and to get his things and leave. The meaning – no one questions the Chairman.

Some will remember there used to be a big tree in the 17^th fairway that stuck out well into the fairway. They called it the Eisenhower tree because every time Dwight D. Eisenhower (‘Ike’) would play, he would hit his ball into that tree. In one business meeting, Ike was present when Clifford Roberts was chairman. He stood up and said, “I make a motion that we cut down that tree on the 17^th fairway” and sat down. Clifford Roberts said “sir you may be the president of the United States, but I am the chairman of Augusta National and your motion is denied. Anyone else have anything they want to say?” it was crickets.

During the Masters week they sell on average, one million dollars an hour of Masters merchandise (shirts, hats etc.) The most amazing thing to me about the Masters tournament is the prices they charge at their concession stands. It is like stepping back in time. The egg salad and pimento cheese sandwiches are $1.50, soft drinks are $2.00 and chips are $1.50. Try that at a national league baseball game.

There are many aspects of the Masters, which have become almost part of the soul of the American people. Even people who do not play golf are mesmerized by the reverence, respect and professionalism in the way the tournament is presented. It is almost like you’re in a time capsule watching a bygone era of American sports when life was simple. To say it is special, is an understatement. It is really the most special sporting event of all time. KT

I was meeting with a client in Ft Walton Beach yesterday, and he said something that made me pause and take note. His office is very close to Eglin Air Force base and has an outside veranda area that was opened when I got there.

Halfway through the meeting we heard a couple F-18s come screaming over his office and he looked at me and said, “that’s the sound of freedom.”

We take for granted, what we really have in America. There is no other country in the world that enjoys the freedoms we have. The sheer capabilities of our Armed Services would baffle the minds of most Americans. Those boys and ladies in those jets that flew over and the Navy Seals, Army Special forces, the Marines and the list could go on, are not just window dressing. They simply are the best deterrent the world has ever seen. No one wants to go to war with America. They may spout off that they want to, but they really don’t.

When those F-18s flew over us yesterday, I thought about all the civil unrest going on in our country. We live in a country that gives (paid for with the lives of young men and women) the freedom to say whatever you want without the threat of consequences. That in itself, is true freedom.

Our young country has only been settled for several hundred years, yet we are the beacon of light for the world to see and we are the example other countries follow. It does my heart good to show reverence and respect to those young Sailors, Airmen, Army and Marines because you see, it is them, who are paying for the freedoms we all enjoy. KT

Do you ever find yourself hurried and worried in life?  Life throws a lot at us and if we don’t have a good foundation, life can sometimes overwhelm us. There is a passage of scripture that always comes to my mind when I get in a hurry or concerned about something. It is Matthew 11:28 NIV – ‘come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. The King James version uses the words ‘you that labor and are heavy laden.’

Here is the point of the scripture for me. Jesus said, ‘come to me.’ He didn’t say come to the church or come to a meeting or come for coffee. He said to ‘come to me.’ See, it is not the place Jesus wants you to come to. It’s him. The best I can tell, you can come to Jesus in any setting, even while you are in a hurry driving somewhere. It is a quiet prayer breathed even when you are hurried and or worried. I find saying a little prayer something like this helps me. “Lord, help me to settle my spirit and go before me and prepare my way.”  A little prayer like that breathed from your heart, can really change the moment you find yourself in.  

God looks at you like you just like you look at your children. We want to know the details our children are dealing with because that helps us know how to help them and guide them. Same thing with God. He wants to know what you are going through. I simply cannot imagine a life outside of a relationship with God because it would be so lonely, weary, meaningless and dark. Jesus wants us to come to him with the small things in life as well as the big things. I believe (just my opinion) that he takes greater pleasure in the smaller things than the bigger things. When you can trust him with the smaller things, it is easier to trust him with the bigger decisions.

The next time you find yourself frazzled, frustrated and out of sorts, try the little prayer mentioned above and you may just find it helps. KT

My little Sheltie dog passed away this weekend. He was named Broker, because all the hotel brokers at our office gave him to us 12 years ago. He was my friend and my little buddy and would lay by my chair every evening. When he looked at me, it was as though he was looking into my soul and with every look, he told me he loved me. When we buried him, there were tears and a real feeling of loss because he was not right there beside me. Our other dog, Sofie (a yorkie) has been looking for him around the house all weekend and can’t find him. She feels like I do, there has been a loss in the family.

I told my wife this weekend, I would make a terrible farmer if I raised cows, pigs and chickens, because all my animals would die of old age. Ha. There would be no animals used for food and I would go see them all every day. I have never seen a gray cow, pig or chicken but all my animals would grow old and just slip away to wherever animals go.

I puzzled this question over the weekend. ‘Will there be dogs in heaven’? While I know very well there is no scripture that addresses this (I looked) I am not so sure. I have asked myself, why would God let us love a dog so much and have such a relationship if there was no hereafter for a Dog. Who knows, maybe Broker will be standing beside St Peter when I walk through the pearly gates. It comforts me to believe such a thing.

I don’t think it is just happenstance that the word, dog, spelled backwards, is God. I think there is a reason for this. I already miss my little buddy and he will have a place in my heart for as long as I live. KT

The greatest luxury in life, is time.

I wrote a very similar blog some seven years ago, but I was reminded today of the power of the statement. I carry this little piece of paper with this quote on it clipped to the front page of my calendar book.  I look at every workday. My daughter gave it to me many years ago and it is special. The little piece of paper is getting faded and ragged, but I still see it every workday and it reminds of how blessed I am (we all are) that we have today and that tomorrow is never promised.

If you are young and healthy you may think the next car, or the next vacation is the definition of luxury. If are old enough to get past the superficial definition of luxury, you realize that time is simply the most sought-after luxury this world offers. If you have had a health scare or a bad diagnosis or lost hope in your life, you know that time is the greatest luxury this life has to offer. When you are looking at your grandchildren and you realize you have much less time in front of you than you do behind you, time becomes very important. Lastly, if you are on the one-yard line of life looking into eternity, trust me, you are not thinking about the next car or vacation or what your stock portfolio is worth. You are only thinking about time.

The other day I was driving up to our lake house to meet with a general contractor and it happened in a blink of an eye. I felt God nudge me to turn off the radio and be in that moment. I turned everything off and said, ok God, show me. I looked at the world around me without all the distractions and realized the beauty and the peace (and the value) of that moment. I said a quiet thank you to God for reminding me that the moments around us is where the beauty of life is.

It is like when your daughter or son comes to you for advice knowing full well, you would move mountains for them if needed or the total focus in your grand child’s eyes as they tell you about their day. When they say, I love you, everything else fades away and you just know this is a moment that will be seared into your memory. That my friends, is the essence of the most important and most powerful luxury this life has to offer.

So, take a moment today to look around you and to look at your loved ones and whisper a prayer of thanks to God for letting you be in that moment and to see that level of pure luxury. KT