In life there are many more moments than milestones. There are only so many milestones in a person’s life. Examples would be graduations, marriage, children births, certain anniversaries, promotions, retirement etc. Examples of moments are what happened today and yesterday and last week. It’s the hug of a grandchild, the uplifting word from a friend, the peace of sleeping well, a good book in front of the fireplace, a spouse that kisses you each morning before work, a child that tells you they love you, the success of an accomplishment, and the joy of a job well done. These could go on for page after page.

What I am saying here is that to many people, quality is more important than quantity. Ask your child if they would rather have a fancy vacation once a year with you or have you pray with them each night as you tuck them into bed. I will tell you that quantity of time together is far more important than an every now and then quality time. Life is in the simple moments when there is no video camera rolling in background. It is setting on the side of your child’s bed and making sure they know you love them. It’s the holding them when their heart is hurt over some boy or girl they liked at school. It is doing the right thing in front of them so they can see who you really are.

In my experience, the teaching does not end when the children leave home. In fact the teaching and good examples are even more important after they have been exposed to living around other people.

Don’t let your life become centered around a destination. Let it be a joy journey. Don’t just decide you will be happy when this event or that milestone is reached. If you do, when you are older you will look back over the years with regret. You will see that you put your joy milestones ahead of special moments. When you pass away and your life on earth is over, the most meaningful things your children will remember will be the simple moments when they felt safe and secure in your love. KT

You have heard the term, “I am juggling a lot of balls.” The person means that they have a lot going on in their life and have “a lot of balls in the air.”

I met with a client DJ Rama this week for lunch and he said something about this subject that I thought was very insightful and so very true. The balls we usually juggle are centered around business, family, religion and health. He said to me that some of the balls are rubber and some are glass. I stopped and looked at him when I understood the very simple, yet very true meaning.

We assume all the balls are rubber and if dropped they will bounce back. This is not true. Business and religon are rubber balls and if you drop them, you just pick them up and start again. The family and health balls are made of glass. Once they drop, they break and can never be picked back up.

This is a very good image of our lives that we need to listen to and hear. All the “balls” you are juggling in your life are not the same. We often think that tomorrow will be just like today and next week will be just like this week. People think their children and their spouse will always be there and if you messed up this week you will always have next week. That ball is glass and if you drop and break it, you may never get it back.

When people pass away they always leave behind plans of what they were going to do that day or next week or next year. When they leave this earth, all the plans end. That ball is glass and once it drops and breaks, you never get it back.

My client’s point was very direct. Make sure you know which of the balls are the important ones and which of the balls are not. Don’t drop the glass ones because they will not bounce back. Happy Easter. KT

Today is mine and Elaine’s 37th anniversary. I should only be 37 years old, yet we all know that isn’t true. When we got married I was 20 years old and Elaine was 19. I have often said that the greatest sales pitch I ever made was the one where I talked her father into letting me marry his 19 year old daughter. Ha.

Elaine and I met in high school during the fall of our junior year in Mrs. Underwood’s science class. I played football and Elaine was on the drill team. We were both just kids and we started talking and joking with each other all while listening to Mrs. Underwood dribble on something I didn’t understand.

Later that fall after we met, I just decided one Sunday evening after church to go over to her house. She didn’t know I was coming over. I knocked on the door and met her father Max Phillips and the impression I instantly got was, don’t step out of line with my daughter! Anyway, I was in the kitchen and Max called Elaine’s grandmother’s house which was next door to tell Elaine she had a visitor. Well here I was in the kitchen wondering why I was in the kitchen of a girl that hadn’t invited when in through the door Elaine walks in with her brother Wayne. I didn’t know Wayne was her brother and didn’t know he was just 13 months younger than Elaine. To me, he looked like her boyfriend and again, I wondered just exactly what I had gotten myself into.

Later that evening when I was leaving we were standing beside my red Corvair and we kissed for the first time. I won’t say that I knew that night she was going to be my wife, but I will tell that I knew that night I wanted a wife and life companion like her.

We married today, 37 years ago and we have a great life together. We have two married daughters and two granddaughters and two great son in-laws and God has had his hand on us from that first night at her house. We have been through many things together including almost a 10 year period where we were broke and working to get of debt and to have enough money at the end of the month.

The bible speaks of having a virtuous wife and the value of an honest wife. I can tell you that the bible is absolutely true in every aspect but especially true about this. Elaine is that Virtuous woman. She is kind, beautiful, loving, principled, attentive and incredible insightful and intelligent.

I could write 10 pages on what our life together has been like but Elaine is the bride of youth and today we celebrate 37 years of marriage. KT

My favorite room in our home is my office. When we built the house I designed it just the way I wanted it with built in book shelves, three side by side windows and it is painted hunter green with green berber carpet. In case you didn’t pick up on this, my favorite color is green.

The shelves are covered with things and items that mean something to me and things which have had an impact on my life. There are reminders of the time when we were broke that I keep very close to me so that I will always be reminded of the grace of God that brought us through that period. There are items from my childhood, watches that have belonged to parents and grandparents and a gold pocket railroad watch that that belonged to my dad’s family. There are books, mementoes from various periods in my life as well as items that are more current. I have many books on life leadership from Abraham Lincoln to Sam Walton and many books on muscle cars and automobile history.

I have pictures of my daughters through the years and notes that they written to me as well as I have the high school picture of my wife, who I met in high school. There are also many many diacast model cars and trucks from muscle cars to vintage trucks. In case I didn’t tell you, I love cars and trucks. Ha

Along one wall is a framed announcement of the first 56 hotels I sold. When I look at that wall I can remember every one of them and who the client was. That wall represents the start of what has become my career. I am also very aware that one day the sales will end and all I will have is the memories of the career. I am thankful to God for leading me into the line of work I have been blessed to be in.

This room carries many great moments and memories for me. When I walk in, it is almost like my life is on the walls and the shelves. They speak to me about God’s grace and God’s timing.

What I like most about the room is that it represents where I have come from but it also represents where I am going. I hope and trust there will be many more items added to the shelves and pictures added to the walls of future memories that will be made. When I pass away, I know most of these things and items will be boxed up done away with because they have meaning only for me. Many of these items will not mean much to my children because with each item, I carry the memory of what they mean. I want my children and grandchildren to have their own walls and shelves of things that mean something to them that represents their life.

Everyone should have a place where they keep the memories and mementoes of their life. I guess you could call my office the green room but I call it my place and my spot. KT