Tonight, Elaine and I saw an old friend that told us about a lady that just died, and she was 57 years old. She was diagnosed around a year ago, and was told that she had a year to live. She found out she had stage four cancer.

As we were driving home, I asked Elaine the question, “what would you change in your life if you were told you had a year to live?” There was a pause, and then we discussed it.

For me, I said I would get the succession plan in order for Hotel AG to ensure she would be taken care of, and I would get the financial house and records in order so that it would not be a concern for her or my children. Then, I would start writing a lot more and committing my thoughts to paper. Lastly, we both agreed that we would maybe travel a little but not much. Rather, we would invest the year with our daughters, son-in-laws and our grandchildren. We would basically soak up all the love we could. Elaine said there wouldn’t be a day that goes by that she didn’t witness to someone about Jesus.

We then discussed why we shouldn’t wait to do those very things until we were forced to.

I came away from the discussion with a decision to do all those things while it was a choice and not a requirement. I also thought about what it would feel like to be given that news and to have to go home to discuss it with your family. In a manner of words, it would change your whole life and your thought life.

Anyone reading this blog post that has not been given that diagnosis can still make the decision to change how they live their life and begin a new day today. They can think of the people they love and can focus on what really matters, as they start to repair relationships and live the life they have always wanted to live. In short, they can start to be the person they have always wanted to be.

It is said of people when they are dying that the only two things that matter is the relationship they have with God and the relationship they have with their family. The cars, houses, money, job titles, and recognition mean nothing when life is at the end.

So today, let’s decide to follow the Army slogan that says “be all you can be,” and I would add “while you can.” KT

Dahlonega is a little town in North Georgia in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It started as a gold mining town way back and has now developed into one the best tourist attractions in Georgia. There is also a relatively large college in the downtown area called the University of North Georgia, formally known as North Georgia College and State University. My oldest daughter went to that college her freshman and sophomore years and then transferred to Samford University, where she graduated. My youngest daughter attended and graduated with honors from the University of North Georgia.

So, to simply say we know of Dahlonega is an understatement.

Each year, this little town does something for Memorial Day and the 4^th of July that is the most humbling and most honoring thing I have ever seen. For every serviceman or servicewoman that is from Dahlonega and died in action in any war, the town has a cross with that person’s name and the war they fought in. The town takes these crosses and puts them in the ground at 50-75 foot intervals on all streets throughout the town. The oldest, I believe, dates back to WWI and goes up through today.

The sight of those crosses as you drive through town is simply arresting to your spirit. You would think that the population of Dahlonega would be double today had these young service people lived.

Each cross represents a young life that was cut short. In most cases, they died on foreign soil and gave the last ounce of themselves so we could live free in the United States. Most of these crosses represent very young adults that did not have enough life left to be a daddy/mommy, raise a family, and grow old with joy. Most of them died in pain away from their families.

When you see these crosses, it changes the conversation in your car, it changes your mood, and you cannot escape the thankfulness for where we live and the freedom we have.

So today, if you are in the US, look around you and realize there is no other place on the globe where you can be anything you want to be and where you can worship and choose to live your life as a free person. The next time you see a serviceman or servicewoman, shake their hand and thank them. KT

There is a song titled “I Won’t Give Up,” and if you haven’t heard the song, you need to look it up on iTunes or YouTube.

The title of the song reminds me of the way a father feels about his children. A father will never give up on his children. Never. A father wants long life, health, prosperity and joy for his children. In fact, if a father could do something to make sure his children would have those things, he would do it even if it took everything he had.

If your father didn’t feel this way about you, then it is his loss. There are times when you hear of a father committing acts or doing things that are unbecoming to a real father. If this was your father and your experience, then my friend you have a choice. Carry the bitterness or forgive it and let it go. It’s your choice and you are the only one that can make it.

If you choose to let it go, I will tell you of a Father who will never waver. He is simply everything you will ever need. He will never forget, he will never leave you, he will never not love you, and he will never hold back his best from you. He is God, the creator and the first and the last.

So, the next time you hear the song “I won’t give up on you,” remember that is how your heavenly father feels about you and that is how fathers like me feel about their children. KT

I have written about this subject several times, but I cannot seem to escape the power of the subject. It compels me to talk about it again.

The subject is a regular day, a normal day, a routine day, and a day just like any other day.

These are the kind of days that people long for and want again, who have lost friends, family, jobs, health, hope, peace, and joy.

You may be one of these examples– A young father who is still trying to find his place and is searching for significance in his life. A young mother with little children that seems to be dragged down by the mundane task of raising children. An older man or women who know that retirement is near and it scares them. A man who has just found out that the people he works for have been lying to him. A senior citizen who is in poor health and knows that life will never be like it was. A young family or middle-aged family who have lost their way and don’t know how to get back on track. An investor who knows he made a bad investment and doesn’t know what to do. The person that sits at Starbucks because they just need to be around other people even if they don’t talk to them. The person who has lost hope. The person who is depressed and can’t see out of the black hole. The person who is afraid. The person who is experiencing fear of things they never feared before. The person that has had a health event that will forever change who they are and how they live.

You get the idea.

The next time you have a day that is routine, normal and just a plain ole day without any drama, fear or life changes, stop where you are and say a prayer of thanks to the Lord for letting you be in that moment. You will not always have those kinds of days and there will come a time when you will long for and remember the joy of those days.

Embrace them, cherish them, live in them, breathe them in, and make the most of those normal, routine, regular days. KT

Have you ever known someone who has carried hurt feelings for years and years for being treated poorly, passed over for a promotion, not being nominated, being treated without respect, broke up with, or talked about? You get the idea.

As you can imagine, the person who carries that with them is probably not the person you want to hang around with or let influence your life.

People think that men don’t do this and don’t carry resentment. I am here to tell that I think men are the worst offenders of this because we basically will not talk about it. At least women will usually get it off their chest by talking to someone about what happened. On the other hand, men will just let it swell up inside like a bullfrog and never ever share how they really “feel.”

So to the men reading this–stop and deal with that pain and move on with your life. Whisper the words in your heart, “I forgive him/her, Lord.”

If you will do this, you are choosing the life ahead rather than the life behind and you are choosing to be in the future moments rather than spoil those moments because your head and heart is still in the past. Forgiveness is one of the most powerful things that can free you just as withholding forgiveness is one of the most powerful things that can stop you.

Life is moving at such a rapid pace I cannot believe it. I, for one, do not want to miss the moments because of some silly hard feelings between me and someone. The good news is that you, yes you, and you alone get to choose to fix it with a simple forgiveness prayer.

To really explain the next paragraph, it would take 90 pages to write, so read it in the simplicity it was meant.

I believe we see and feel in the natural realm, but if we could see into the next realm of life, you could see music flowing through the air, streaming data, angels, and many other spiritual things. If you could see in that next realm, you would finally understand the power of the spoken word. The words you speak come from your heart. The Bible says that whatever is in your heart in abundance will come out of your mouth. What many Christians do not understand is that the angels operate on one thing and that one thing is the words of your mouth. So, the next time you wake up and want to say “man, this is going to be a bad day because of etc.,” stop yourself spiritually in your tracks and say some something uplifting that will give your angels the right to go before you and make something good happen.

So, for all of you who enjoy strife, envy, and anger, by all means keep feeling and doing just like you have been. For all those who want to be free from past hurts, stop where you are and have a fervent prayer of forgiveness over those who have hurt you and then look forward to the rest of your life. KT