There are a few things in life that never change and remain the same. The watchful eye of a mother is one of them. They seem to know things about you when there is no way they could have known. Their love is unconditional, and it never changes, regardless of how old the children are. Today, my mother can ask me a question and with those eyes, almost see right into my soul. A mother just knows things about their children; there is a sixth sense and a protectiveness that no one ever wants to cross. Watching my wife with our daughters when they were young and now seeing her with our granddaughters is such a beautiful thing to behold- witnessing the love.

I remember when our oldest daughter was about five-years-old, and we were at a mall shopping for the holidays. Well, we looked around, and she wasn’t where she was supposed to be. We started quietly calling her name, trying not to cause a scene. Well, that was fine for about 30 seconds and then it was full on. Elaine took the area we were in, and I ran for the store door that leads from the department store into the mall. Believe me, I was prepared to lay my life down if that is what it took. We were not quiet anymore as we called her name; at that point, we really didn’t care who saw us or what they thought. I remember my wife during this episode, and I can tell you that no one would want to challenger her while she was looking for her baby. She would have taken on a Mack truck to get her child back. As it turned out, our daughter had gotten into the center of a clothing rack when Elaine found her. As you can guess, we did not do anymore shopping that night.

I was in Alaska a few years ago with some clients, and in one of the stores, they had some photos of grizzlies in the wild. There was this one photo of a mother grizzly with her cubs standing in a river. There was male grizzly that was approaching the mother’s cubs, and the photographer snapped the picture as the mother bear was heading toward the threat. When the picture was snapped, the mother bear had all 4 four feet about a foot off the ground as she charged toward the male bear. She was in death attack mode. It was the most animal amazing picture I had ever seen. Needless to say, that mother bear was not playing around, and nothing was going to get between her and her babies. The caption beneath the picture read “Hell hath no fury like that of a mother.”

Everyone reading this blog post knows what I mean when I refer to a mother’s look and a mother’s eye. You can’t hide from it or escape it, and in those eyes, is the most pure example of unconditional love that exists. KT

The greatest Christmas gift you can give yourself is to start changing what you know you need to change in your life. All of us have things in our life that we know we need to change, but we refuse to get started. It could be losing weight, ridding yourself of habits, fixing a relationship, changing the way we plan, changing the way we think, getting anger under control, tithing, attending church, reading more, or any of the things that you know you need to change. You know in your heart that you need to change.

These things you need to change have probably been on your mind for some time, maybe even for years. Why not today make the decision to start.

Why not wake up Christmas morning in 7 weeks knowing in your heart that you have already started to change what needs to be changed in your life. Set Christmas 2014 as the timing goal. Some goals can be reached by Christmas and some will take longer to accomplish, but the main thing is to be on your way toward achieving the goal.

I read last week that one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family is to lose weight and be healthier. Wouldn’t that be a great gift to give yourself and your family this Christmas? Many of us always have advice for others on how to fix their lives, yet we don’t do the deep changing in ourselves.

Get an image in your heart of what your life will be like when you accomplish what you know you need to do and imagine how you will feel. Really get that image locked in your mind. The definition of a real goal rather than a wish is something that is definable and measurable. A wish for a happier life is not a goal but just that, a wish. A goal is a specific change in your life that you can measure and that you believe will help you be happier.

So 7.5 weeks, 52 days, why not? KT

You have heard it said that many times owners and their dogs began to look similar and take on some of the same attributes. You have seen heavy, wide men with bulldogs and old guys with pugs or tall guys with great Danes, etc.

If I favored my dogs, I would either look like Santa Claus or a small ugly woman. Ha.

My oldest dog is a Yorkie that I traded a shotgun for 9 years ago. He turned out to be the runt of the litter…literally the runt. He is 2.7 lbs with the heart of a lion, but the body of a squirrel. He thinks he is in charge wherever he goes, but he basically has two things he does well: he loves everybody and he pees everywhere. Oh, by the way his name is Bear. Ha.

My other dog is a Sheltie that was given to my wife for Christmas two years ago, but he took to me and thinks I am his mother. His name is Broker because he was given to Elaine by all the brokers at Hotel AG. He was supposed to be 14-15 lbs when grown, and he is now probably over 20 lbs. He looks like Santa Claus because his fur is tan and white, and he has the personality of Santa: always fat, happy and looking for a treat.

We have a dog park down at the bottom of the hill from our home. I am talking 6-7 houses down. I have this old Jeep Grand Wagoneer that I love and last year, I had it out driving it with the tailgate window down. We were going to take the dogs to the park, so I just put Broker in the back with the window down for the 2-minute ride to the park. Well, when I got to the park and went around to get Broker out, I realized that within the 2-minute ride he had apparently completely voided his bowels. He had fired off probably 8 torpedoes in that two-minute time span. When I got home, my old Wagoneer had 8 dark, smelly spots in the tailgate area. I guess you could say he is a little skittish.

So, I have one dog that could take up hunting because he would look good sitting in the truck and then another dog that couldn’t even jump in the truck.

You know all is well in the world when around 9 at night the Sheltie is sleeping on the couch and the Yorkie is lying on his back with his feet in the air. No worries and all is calm and full of peace. KT

I have held many titles over my career and personal life, but the title I cherish the most is Daddy.

When I think of being a daddy, I think of the most precious moments of my life I have shared with my wife and my children. I believe when you get to the one yard line of life and the memories of your life flood your mind, it will be memories of your family and not of your work or your money.

The moments I have spent as a daddy when the cell phone was off and the computer was closed and it was just me and my girls will always be moments I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The thing that most of those moments have in common is they didn’t cost a dime. It was Christmas mornings, prayers at night, wrestling in the floor, holding hands as we crossed the street, a hello kiss and hug when I got home, watching them be baptized, etc. Once the girls were older, it was having them ask me for my advice, watching them drive out of the driveway for the first time, giving the young man the look before he left with my baby on a date, and their graduations. These are the moments that will be the mental video played in my mind until the end of my life.

I was in the room when both of my daughters were born, and both times I cried like a baby. I held that sweet little bundle that was a gift from God and could only whisper a prayer of thanks to God. As a daddy, you instantly know that little baby is someone you would give your life for if needed. If you were like me, you also understood the term “unconditional love” for the very first time.

How about you? What is your most precious title? What are the moments that will flood your thoughts when you step from the here and now into the beyond? KT