I was working in my office today and took a break. For some reason I started looking at all the things in my office. I have model cars, sale monuments, books, keepsakes and various other items that hold meaning to me. Then I noticed the pictures of my family spread out over the desk and credenza. I have never really counted the pictures because it has never occurred to me to do so. When I did, I realized there are 16 pictures of my wife, children, son in-laws, grandchildren, mom, dad and they range from when my daughters were young, high school age, college age and even today.

I paused and realized that the most meaningful people to me take a far more important presence in my office than what I own or what I have sold. I have a friend of mine who is in my line of work and his office is filled with monuments to the deals he has closed. The monuments to his closing are so overwhelming, you can’t seem to see anything else. I have to wonder if he is as happy as I am.

When you walk into our home, the first thing you see is a picture of all our family hung in a very prominent spot near the front door. By the time you get to our family room, you have passed pictures of all our family on the walls and in the main room on the bookshelves, are photos of those who mean the most to me and my wife.

If you look at sheer volume, someone who does not know us would come away understanding what/who are the most important things in our life. On our refrigerator there is probably 15-20 photos of our immediate family that we see every time we pass by.

In life, it could be said that what you most display around you represent what you most love. In our case, there is little question what holds the most meaning for us. You have heard me say this before, that at someone’s funeral, you don’t see pictures of their stocks, bank accounts, houses, deals they have sold or their cars. You see pictures of their family. Why wait till your funeral to display what means the most to you? KT