Category Archives: Life

Korean War Soldiers

Life, Uncategorized

There was a little news article a couple weeks ago that meant a lot to me and was largely overlooked by most of the mainstream news media outlets. This is not a political blog post in the least, but one of the things President Trump was successful with during the June 12th meeting with the North Korean leader was, his agreement to return the remains of US soldiers that fought and died during the Korean war from 1950-1953. The best estimate of remains that are still in North Korean is 5,300. That is 5,300 families that were never able to bury their sons and daughters. For me, having served in the military, this was one of the most honorable actions from a President that I know of.

There were 33,652 US service men and women that died in battle during the Korean War and another 3,262 that died in the region from illnesses, accidents and other non-battle causes. The total number of young Americans that we lost in the Korean War was 36,914. To give you some context, we as a country have lost 6.828 young men and women since 2001 in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts since 911 happened on September 11, 2001.

Those men and women that died in the Korean War would be about the same age as my mom and dad who are both in their early 80’s. Think about all those families that heard the knock on the door with someone in uniform telling them their child was killed in battle.

Now, think about the significance of finally bringing these service men and women home so they can be laid to rest with their families. That is one of the things the President got an agreement on. KT

Father’s Day

Family, Life

Father’s Day is the day a dad celebrates the greatest gift he could ever receive. His children.

Of all the titles I have had in my life, the greatest to me is the title, daddy. When my life draws to a close, I want to be remembered as having been a good father. I want to have equipped my children with the necessary life lessons that will enable them to live a full and meaningful life and impact their future generations.

As Father’s Day approaches, some people have good memories to build on and other have memories they would rather not think about. My parents separated and remarried when I was young so I have two fathers that have taught me many of life’s most important lessons. My greatest hope is that I have demonstrated to my daughters what a real father is supposed to be.

I have so many memories of my girls when they were little and as they grew up. Times of pure joy of the gift they have been to me. There have been times of joy, tears, fear, anxiety, protectiveness and always of unconditional love. I believe as a dad that showing your child that your love does not have conditions, is very possibly the greatest gift you can give them.

Father’s Day is a very special day for dads because it is on that day, that you get to tell your children what a gift they have been to you and how their lives have made you a better person.  To all the fathers, happy Father’s Day. KT

Trying your best

Career, Life

I remember in high school my football coach said, all I can expect of you, is to do your best. He said when you get back on the team bus after the game, the only thing that will matter is if you left it all on the field. Meaning, you played as hard as you could.

In life there are successes and failures and I have experienced both. The failures are the ones you end up thinking about the most. It is common to ask yourself after a failure if I had done this or that, would it have changed the outcome? I believe if you can look back on a failure and know in your heart that you tried as hard as you could and did your best, knowing that, will help you work through the failure as compared to the temptation to let the failure define your future. Sometimes, failing can actually be a gift.

Abraham Lincoln lost nine, yes nine, very public elections before deciding to run for President. The question all historians have asked is, if he had won one of the other elections, would he have still run for President? The common theory is that if he had won the senate seat, he would have been content and would not have ran for President. Think about the course of American history if he had never run for President.

As I look back on my own life, my worst financial failure was the restaurant business when I was in my middle 20’s. As I look back at that time, it was that failure that caused me to look in a different direction where I ended up selling hotels instead. While no one can say with certainty what Lincoln would or would not have done, I can say for certainty, if I had experienced success in the restaurant business, I would still be in that business today working 100 hours a week.

Many of the inventions we enjoy today were the by-product of a failure. A few examples of failures that led to great inventions are, the pacemaker, microwave oven, Penicillin, Ink jet printers, x-ray images, post-it notes, potato chips, chocolate-chip cookies and Coca-Cola. So, if you have had a failure in your life that you can’t quite get over, step back and really look at your life in the context of where you are and maybe you will see God’s hand at work trying to get you to a different destination than where you thought you were going.

Mark Twain once said, “the next time you fail, think again about what you could possibly invent from the failure.” KT

The people you associate with and the books you read

Career, Family, Life

I heard a speaker say some years ago that the person you will be in five years will be greatly influenced by the people you associate with and the books you read. There is never an exact formula to our future because we all know of people that came from diverse backgrounds, poverty and other social barriers that went onto do something great with their lives. That said, what the speaker said all those years ago is a pretty good formula for how to start to become the person you most want to be.

I didn’t go to college and I stutter when I talk so when I was young, my sphere of influence was lacking. When I was younger I began to read books of all kinds from history, motivation to suspense thrillers. These books largely shaped how I think today about life, family and business. So, the idea that books could have an impact on our life, at least for me is true.

I bought some restaurants some years ago and lost my shirt in the process. The funny thing was that the guy I bought the restaurants from, also sold hotels. At the point of bankruptcy, I showed up on his front door and told him I wanted to learn how to sell hotels. The only reason he even let me in the door was because he felt bad for me. I had no experience, no education and no concept of selling commercial real estate but he let me sell hotels anyway. Bill Hodges and Jack Ward who owned the hotel brokerage firm, literally changed my life.

When I started selling hotels, I began to meet people from a whole different position in life and developed close friendships in the process. These people spoke words of affirmation and influence into my life that literally changed the course of my future and that of my family. When I look back over the lives of my family, my children and grandchildren, I can see in reverse the impact that association with people and the books I have read have had on our lives.

Nothing in life is simple and nothing works every time for everyone, but for me, this little piece of wisdom had an incredible impact on me and my family. Possibly the simplest, first step, is to go buy some books, turn the TV off and spend some time each night reading and letting your imagination experience a different world. That is what happens when you get into a good book. It transports you into the story and allows your mind to imagine and experience a different setting than your current life. Over time, these impressions can help you think more clearly and began to imagine life in a different way. It’s worth a try, right? KT

Suggested authors to read:

Suspense thrillers – John Sanford, Lee Child, Kate Morton, David Baldacci, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Dan Brown, Harlan Coben, James Rollins, Scott Turow, Clive Cussler, J. K Rowling

Motivational – Charlie Jones, Napoleon Hill, Stephen Covey, Rich DeVos, Zig Ziglar, Paul Harvey, Dale Carnegie, James Allen, Norman Vincent Peale

Spiritual – Louie Giglio, Andy Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, C.S. Lewis, Max Lucado

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Family, Life

For Mother’s Day we had all the kids over for a cook out. During the evening my smallest granddaughter who is five years old brought me her play phone and tells me to push the little bear button and listen to the song. I did as instructed and it played twinkle twinkle little star while she sat on my lap.

Yesterday (Monday) I went home for lunch and was alone in the house and everything was quiet. Her little phone was laying by my chair and I picked it up and pushed the little bear button and that song began to play. Tears almost welled up in my eyes thinking about how my precious little granddaughter wanted me to hold her and listen to that song. I had a moment. One of those that you just know you will remember from now on. One of those impressions that leaves a soft spot on your heart.

In life you never know how many more moments you have. It is crystal clear that while there may be other moments similar to that moment, there will never be another one exactly like it. When I go home at night and when the family comes over, my phone is turned on silent and plugged into the charger. Like that evening, all the people I most love are in the room with me and therefore there is no need to check for messages. I have all the messages I need at that moment. One of those messages was holding my little granddaughter and listening together to the song, twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. KT