Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hollywood award shows

Have you ever thought about why Hollywood actors have so many award shows?  Golden Globe, Oscars, Grammy, Tony, Emmy etc. to name a few, but there is a total of 18 Hollywood award shows.

I can see having one award show with all the categories, but 18? These are award shows created by themselves, paid for by themselves, for themselves, to award themselves and celebrate themselves. They do it so they can feel important. Do you know any other industry that needs 18 award ceremonies? Ever wonder why they all have the red carpet walk with all the flowing gowns and the fawning people outside the ropes with the cameras flashing? These shows are the single greatest ego trip the actors can imagine. Its all for them and all about them.

In hotel Broker world, there is one award ceremony in January of each year. If you are an insurance salesman, plumber, schoolteacher, business executive, home builder or work at a government agency, you get one award ceremony with about eight categories and a free buffet dinner. That’s it.  

So why all the award shows for the Hollywood elite? Well, here is my unvarnished opinion. First, most of the actors are pure narcissist that believe they matter to the fabric of America.  They don’t. Second, they believe they set the example to follow and that they are admired by all. There not.  Third, they are so far out of touch with reality, it is their way of proving to themselves that they matter.

So, just give me a movie with Denzel Washington, Jeff Bridges or Matt Damon. Why? Because they are great actors, and they seemingly live their personal life in an honest way and they haven’t been married eighteen times and they believe in family values. They would get the awards in my book. KT

When the grown children don’t need you any more

One of the most comforting, yet sad, euphoric and yet heart wrenching realization is when a parent realizes their grown children don’t need them anymore. Don’t misunderstand me, they still want the parents, but they don’t need the parents to make it in life.

When a parent realizes this (especially a father) it is both saddening but also very comforting to know you raised them well and they can make it in life without you. There is great peace and rest for a parent that knows their children will be ok.

When I think about this shift in parent/child relationship, I remember when I was 13 and didn’t want my parents to hug me in public anymore and I didn’t want to sit with them in church, etc. I wanted to sit with all the other kids. It is the right of passage for all children both boys and girls. They need to begin the breakaway in early teen years from the parents, and it progresses until one day, they don’t need the parents at all. They want the parents and love the parents, but they can make their way in life without the help of the mom and dad.

Both of my girls went through this pulling away and it is as normal as life itself. I will tell you that I still hug and kiss my adult girls no matter who is watching, because I want them to know that I love them.

A parent wants a child to grow up and leave the nest and forge their own way in the world and wouldn’t want it any other way. It is still hard on the heart, but also very assuring and comforting for a parent to see. KT

When is enough, enough?

I wrote about this subject several years ago and the topic continues to interest me.

So many of us just rush through life going from one ‘want’ to another all while thinking we have forever to live and will always have the tomorrows. Well, I am here to tell you that tomorrow is not promised and if we don’t live for today, we may miss our chance. I have lost friends lately the same age as me and I have determined that the moments life gives you are fragile and should be cherished.

Knowing when enough is enough is perhaps one of the biggest problems in many areas of our lives. We just don’t know when enough is enough. I believe that joy, rest, and peace come from contentment. Contentment comes from enough. I am not saying we shouldn’t have goals and dreams because they are the essence of what keeps us dreaming and full of hope for the future. We should have objectives you want to accomplish but those goals and dreams should be junior to living and enjoying the current life God has given you.

Many people spend their best years trying to get to the next house, the next promotion, the next deal, the next thrill, the next marriage, the next look, the next invitation, the next (you fill in the blank.) Many times, people want these things because they are really hiding behind the image (the new me) they think will come if they have these things.

The question we should be asking ourselves is, when will I finally be ok with me and where I am now. When will enough be enough?

I look at the] landscape of singers, actors, politicians, influencers etc. and clearly enough are not enough for most of them. Don’t think of their life as being so great because it is not. Many die young, broke, and alone.

The first words in Psalm 23 says; the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. The entire psalm is the picture of rest, assurance, confidence and having enough.

Find that place where you can sit down, rest, take a deep breath and not think about that next thing. KT

Sometimes the journey doesn’t start with a destination

I have said in the past that it is good to know where you are going (destination) in order to map the journey. I have also said that if your destination is Florida, and you get on I-75 going north, it doesn’t matter how much you want to go to Florida, you will not get there because you are heading in the wrong direction. I won’t say that direction is everything, but it largely determines where you are going.

Ok here it is – I may have been a little wrong. Not everyone has the full-on mental image of their destination at first. Maybe they just need to start the journey and let God show them the direction and the turns. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the main thing is to get started. Let me say that again, the main thing is to get started.

Here is a good ‘get started’ prayer. “Lord, I don’t know where you want me to go and what you want me to do, but I do know that I am today making the decision to start following you and living my life in a way that would be pleasing to you.” That prayer is so open, raw and honest it almost makes me cry. That is what God wants from us. Just a willing heart to follow him wherever he leads.

Many times, our destination becomes more in focus if we are traveling on the right road and in the right direction. My life’s work (Hotel Broker) is a perfect example. In May of 1990 I just needed to make some extra money, so I went to a friend of mine that sold hotels and ask for a part time job. It wasn’t until I sold my second hotel that my destination became laser focused clear. I was getting out of the restaurant business and getting into selling hotels. I have never looked back in all these 34 years. My point is, I didn’t know my destination, but I did know the direction I needed to be heading.

So today, you may be going around the mountain on a curvy road (metaphor for life) not really knowing your destination and how long it will take. You may be getting weary. Galatians 6:9 says, “and let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Even though a breakthrough in your life may be hard to see today and the forecast is cold and cloudy, don’t lose hope, because God sees you,,,, and if he knows how many hairs are on your head (the bible says) you can rest in assurance that he has you in the palm of his hand and knows everything that is going on in your life. KT


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New Years 2025

As we all begin a new year, why don’t we dispense with the resolutions that we very seldom follow through on and think a little more deeply than the usual, exercise more, lose weight, read more, make more money etc. etc.

Let’s step back and think more of others than of ourselves. In doing so, just maybe we will improve our own joy, contentment, peace and rest.

Let us strive to forgive more, be more kind to others, be less judgmental, love more, give more, help others more and share more of our lives with those around us. In a movie we watched recently, I heard a pretty great piece od advice. Decide the person you want to be and what you want others to think, when they see you coming. When people (friends and family) see you coming, what do they think? Are they happy about it or dreading it? Are they excited or cautious? Are they inviting or hesitant.

You may not realize this, but you go through these exact subconscious evaluations on other people when you see them coming. Think about this the next time you see someone you know walking toward you.

Therefore, maybe we try a different approach to the old standard New Years resolutions and try to be a better person toward other people. If we truly believe – when we give, it will be given unto us and – we reap what we sow, then let’s sow some different seeds this year that are not centered on us, but on others. KT