Category Archives: Life

Historic Hotel Keys

Career, Life

Being in the hotel business, I have always been fascinated by old hotel keys. In the lobby of our office, there is a hotel key cabinet from the 1800s and it is full of vintage and or historic hotel keys. There are many keys (as best I can tell) that date back to the late 1800s and additionally, there are many mid-century examples from the ’50s and ’60s. In the collection are three keys from the historic Rice Hotel in Houston Texas where John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline (Jackie) Kennedy stayed the night before he was assassinated in Dallas the next day.

I also have a lot of early vintage Holiday Inn keys because I have always been fascinated by Holiday Inns because of how it was founded (the timing and reason) and who founded it. Kemmons Wilson was a small home builder in Memphis Tennessee with no formal education who came up with the idea for Holiday Inns on a family trip to DC. He went on to build the company into one of the greatest success stories of the 20th century. Also, I love Holiday Inns because for 29 years I have handled most of the hotel transaction work for the Wilson family (Kemmons Wilson’s sons and grandsons) and I just love the history and the story of their family. One time I was leaving a Holiday Inn and the towels were so thick I could hardly close the suitcase.

Many of the keys I have are from other countries and probably just about every franchise hotel brand over the last 100 years. The most comical key I have is from the Hotel Americas. The key ring weighs about two pounds and it is the size of an appetizer plate. I guess in the ’40s they had a real problem with guests stealing the keys.

So, the old adage about if these walls could talk . . . well if the old hotel keys could tell their secrets, wouldn’t they have some stories? KT

PS – the thing about the Holiday Inn towels in the suitcase was a joke. Just wanted you to think about it a little. ha

Short Term Memory Loss

Career, Life

In 2020, we could all use a good dose of short-term memory loss. Past failures, lost promotions, what someone said about us, some embarrassing moment, turned down for a job, lost a sale, a bad financial investment, harsh words spoken, loss, anxiety, fear, depression, feeling misplaced in life, etc. and the list for go on for many pages but you get the idea.

Sometimes the most difficult person to forgive, is yourself. Think with me a second outside the vernacular. Does the devil want you to move on from past failures and become who you are supposed to be? The answer is no. The way he prevents this from happening is to continually remind us of our past short comings, failures and life missteps. This my friend is why we need some short-term memory loss as it pertains to our past mistakes. See, the longer you dwell on your past, the less time you can spend on your future. The more time you relive past failures, the less time you have to chart a different course. The more you act in fear, the less you act in hope. The more conservative and cautious you become, the less you can believe again. The more you let the devil control your thoughts with past failures, the less you will let God give you a new vision.

It is impossible to forget our past, but it is possible to stop letting it control our future. Happy 2020. KT

Helping the poor

Life

Helping the poor and those in need should be a basic thing we all do. Help can take many forms from money, time and talent. It is the giving of any or all these things that mean the most to those in need and to the giver, you. There are people that simply need to know someone still cares.

It is also important to understand that the giver should give out of their abundance (their extra) and not from their own need. What I mean is to not take your house payment and use it to help the poor. The best approach is to give when you can, and I believe God honors that.

The strange thing about giving to the poor is the impact it makes on the life of the one who gives. If you want the quickest way to regain balance, perspective, calm and rest in your own life, find someone or some organization to help. I believe that God looks most favorable on those who give of themselves to help others in need. I can tell you that some of the greatest moments of my own self-worth came from giving to others.

The holidays are a time of joy for many people but also a time of stress, anxiety and apprehension for others. For many there is a quiet uneasiness for what the new year will hold. Will it be better or more of the same as this year? There is no perfect solution but one of the best ways I know to regain your own joy is to start helping the poor when you can. I use the term magical very loosely only to describe in a worldly term what I mean. When you give it simply does something in your heart like nothing else can. In a manner of speaking, it is therapeutic to your soul and it creates a renewed hope in your spirit.

At this time of year if you feel worried or anxious about the future, maybe try giving. KT

Setting the example and leaving a legacy

Family, Life

What is the example we are setting for our children? Is it one of love, integrity, credibility or is it one of strife, jealousy, anger and bad decisions?

My father passed away a little over a year ago and he was fleeced by a woman and her son in the last two years of his life. He married her and proceeded within two years to let her and her son dismantle his whole estate and in the end, disavowing all his children. While she and her son think they have really pulled something over on my dad’s family, what they don’t know is that they will not be in peace. Shortly after his death, this woman and her son threw every belonging my dad possessed that did not have value in the trash. The pieces that had value, they stole and or sold. The only things of my father I have today were items I had already been given.

I was with my brothers and sister last weekend and what came out of the conversation was that what she and her son really stole from us was the good memories of our father. See, when we think of him now, the only memory we have is his final act which was to tell his children he didn’t love them. I believe God is watching everything and he knows the intentions of the heart and this woman and her son will not be at rest or at peace. I and my siblings are.

Why am I telling you this story? It is so you can understand the power of setting the example and leaving a legacy. Being true to the end should be the goal we all have.

I believe the greatest thing we can do for our children and grandchildren is to be the example they need to see. Every single person alive want (they might not say it) to have examples in their life. They want to follow someone that stands the test of time and finishes the race and leaves a legacy of honor, credibility, integrity, and honesty. Everyone wants a hero and I just think there is a special anointing and favor that follows people willing to set the example. My grandfather (dad’s dad) was that way. He always had time for me and always made me feel loved. He was a farmer and not wealthy when he died but his memory will live long in my heart. He gave us kids the one greatest gift he could. The gift of unconditional love.

When the Lord calls me home, it is my hope and prayer that I leave behind the gift of unconditional love for my daughters, son in-laws and all my grandchildren. I also believe the bible when it tells us that “great is the man who leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.” That is something I fully intend to do. Unlike my father, I intend to always say and show my love for my family. Merry Christmas! KT

Time and chance

Career, Life

My Sunday school teacher (David Smith) taught a lesson a few weeks ago that really grabbed my attention. The scripture was written by King Solomon (King David’s son) and he was the wisest and richest man to ever live. Literally. He authored three books of the bible, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and The Song of Solomon. These three books follow the book of Psalms which was written by his father, King David.

Ecclesiastes is shockingly applicable to today. It is like the book was written last week even though it was written 935 years before Christ. I want to focus on the false idea that we (as humans) can control our life by our own education, wisdom, strength, skill or wealth. Look at the following passage of scripture.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NLT) “I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time,”

If you are like me, I haven’t yet been able to wrap my mind around all the meaning of that verse. It is so deep. What part I do understand, I understand very deeply. It says to me that we can do all the right things and still fail because it is up to God to put us in the right place at the right time. This is clearly the story of my life and maybe yours too. Only God knows where we are supposed to be and only God can ordain the circumstances to line up in our lives.

The message is simple. Seek God’s will and his favor and trust that he has us in his hand and he will put us in the right place at the right time. We have no control. When we accept that, it allows us to live more freely and have more love, joy and peace. It’s funny, that the words love, joy and peace are used mostly at Christmas time. Merry Christmas. KT