I stopped and thanked her for being available for our staff. 

“Leslie must have had a really good spirit,” she said. “There is a lot of love here for her.”

Today, I am thankful for the 19+ years I experienced that really good spirit.

Leslie and I worked together on and off as each of us changed roles over the years.  For most of the last ten years, she was a customer service supervisor on my leadership team.  We both were committed to the company’s owner and the growth of the business.  We both had a passion for customer service and our team members’ success.  Leslie and I would often exchange stories and share new photos of our children, marvelling at how much they had grown and how old we were getting!

One of my front line customer service staff stopped in my office yesterday to let me know she was sorry for the loss of my “close friend.”  That gave me pause, because Leslie and I did not socialize outside of work.  When I tried to down-play the reference, she said,

“But, you were close work friends.  Everyone needs a friend at work, and you’ve lost yours.”

Thank you, Leslie, for being my work friend. You will be missed.

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As I prepared some space on her desk yesterday for the memorial that we knew would spring up today, I noticed several quotes taped to her desk, tucked away just behind her keyboard.  When I saw the one below, I immediately thought of sharing it through today’s Tuesday Tidbit.

“Lead people to their own greatness.”  Through these words, she’s leading us still; let’s honor her memory by rising to the challenge.

Rest in peace, Leslie.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

Monday evening, a front line customer service representative from one of my teams sent me a lovely email, sharing a story about a friend of his.  The crux of the story was that while training for a local 5k, the runner learned important life lessons; namely, the difference between “not quitting” and “keeping on.”

The last lines of the story have stuck with me since.  I shared them with all of my teams in this week’s Wednesday Wisdom (weekly quote posting on our internal portal.)  A new co-worker was having a really rough day found some meaning in the quote.  And, here I am, on Thank You Thursday, still thinking about it.

I hope you’ll be thankful to read it, too:

Somehow, in the midst of the struggle of the run itself, something deeper in me focused on an un-lowered bar of measurement.  I didn’t win the race on the road…but something was won in my head and in my heart…

And that something is at the root of hope that what my dreamer’s eye sees will one day be fully and finally realized – bar not lowered an inch. And that is what keeps me keeping on.

Keep on.

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I’ve always loved the photo on the left.  It was taken on my baptism day in 1958.  Mom looked so happy.

Fast forward 52 years.  The photo on the right was taken on Mom’s 75th birthday.

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What do I think about on Mother’s Day? I think about Alzheimer’s Disease.

 Last year, I wrote THIS post about my Mom.  She has Alzheimer’s Disease and no longer knows who I am, or recalls anything about her life.  She doesn’t communicate at all.  She just sits in her wheelchair and the world around her goes by.  I can’t even say she stares off into space; she just has en emptiness in her eyes.  I can’t really say anything better than I did last year, so I hope you’ll just take a moment to read that post.

I do have updates to the post, though.  The lost experiences keep adding up.  Since I wrote that post last year, “Wish I Could Say Happy Mother’s Day,” my son and Mom’s only grandson found real happiness and married a wonderful person.  They are now expecting what will be Mom’s first great-grandchild.  My son will also get his Master’s Degree this fall; another milestone she’ll miss.

My daughter, and Mom’s first grandchild, started her own business a year and a half ago, and is awesomely successful.  Mom would be proud not only of Geben Communication’s success, but also my daughter’s focus on Heart of Haiti, helping earthquake victims get back on their feet and supporting themselves through their crafts.  My daughter and son-in-law recently bought their first house, another event that Mom would have been just tickled about.

My niece, my brother’s daughter, graduated from high school last year.  Mom used to take care of her when she was a pre-schooler.  Mom would have been gushing pride to see her successfully graduate and now nearly finished with her first year of college.

The cruelty of Alzheimer’s is that Mom is alive and strong, but is completely unaware of what is happening around her.  Mom can’t help us celebrate these milestones.  As we do, though, we include Mom in our thoughts, thinking of what might have been.

If you can help fight Alzheimer’s by supporting research into this cruel disease, please click HERE. 

(Originally posted Mother’s Day 2011.)

Personally and professionally, I have grown more through my conversations with Susan than I possibly could have imagined.

Today was no different.  After exchanging hugs and catching up on our children, we started talking about work, life, challenges, and opportunities.  Susan has a knack – no, a skill – for bringing people to a place of clarity.  She always listens carefully, asks the right questions and helps me see the answers that were always there.

One of my many favorite Susan teachings is: You can’t ‘fix’ the past.  It’s over.  It’s done. You can, however, create a new future.  Then, she helps you discover what might be possible for you in that future.

Today, I am thankful for people like Susan, who generously help others find their authentic best selves.

Do you have a “Susan” in your life?  How has that person helped you grow? 

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On the way home last night, I found my exhausted self being sucked in to the downward spiral of “Woe is me” self- talk.  Fortunately, I also have enough self-awareness to see where I was heading.  I stopped, almost as soon as I started.

I thought about the millions of people who don’t have a job at all and would be thrilled to have too much work to do.  Countless other people may never have the opportunity to travel the country and see the Rockies like I did – even if it was a business trip!  Hundreds of thousands people have also struggled with the real estate market the last few years; we are in a great position now.  We are lucky to have so many options for my next home.  I am blessed to have all that “stuff” that needs to be packed.

We all have days and even weeks like the one I described above.  It’s all in our perspective, though, right?  We can choose to wallow in self pity or we can choose gratitude.  I choose gratitude.

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In his latest, Empty Promises, pastor and best-selling author Pete Wilson examines the goals and ideals that many people (myself included) pursue, only to find that they don’t enrich our lives but, instead, often leave us feeling empty.

Through his own real life struggles, examples from people he has counseled over the years, and Biblical references, Wilson helps readers see the often difficult truth about what drives us and why.  He invites us to think differently about why we are drawn to achievement or power.  We learn about the temptation of emphasis on outer beauty or collecting wealth.  Warning: Don’t think this doesn’t apply to you until you read the book.  You might be surprised.

Interestingly enough, Wilson also challenges us to consider whether we are addicted to religion rather than a relationship with God.  He invites us to examine what or who we worship and if that is taking our lives in the direction we really want to go.

The entire book is a gentle challenge to the promises we make to ourselves.  If only ______, then ______.  How many times can we look back and say, yes, that’s exactly the way it worked? Probably not very often.

If only I get that promotion, then my co-workers would respect me more.  If only I had a bigger house with a bigger yard, then my family would be happier.  If only I made more money, then I would be happier.  If only I went to church every week, then God will love me.  If only…then…

Read this book to find out why those promises to ourselves and really empty promises.  You’ll also discover what really can add meaning and joy to your life.  That is not an empty promise.

Order the book HERE on Amazon.com.

(A free copy of this book was made available through the BookSneeze blogger review program, however, the opinions expressed are entirely my own, free of any influence.)

Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. -Babe Ruth

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime. -Babe Ruth

You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat. -Christy Mathewson

You owe it to yourself to be the best you can be – in baseball and in life. -Pete Rose

If you can’t outsmart people, outwork them -Bill Veeck

Don’t worry about your individual numbers, worry about the team. If the team is successful, each of you will be too. -Branch Rickey

Be on time. Bust your butt. Play smart. And have some laughs along the way. -Whitey Herzog

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

I’m not sure what drew me to this book when I first saw it.  Perhaps the Swindoll name, but not one of the preacher brothers?  The emphasis on the words “a happy life”?  The relaxed font and background color?

Whatever it was that drew me in, Luci Swindoll’s easy writing style, real life stories, sense of humor, and simple advice for life kept me there!  Inspired by the wisdoms of her mother, Swindoll’s short, two to three page chapters all have five word titles, starting with a verb - prompting action!  From Chapter One, “Start With What you Know,” to the last, “Live An Attitude of Gratitude,” the book is filled with common sense delivered with uncommon ease.

A sense of the book content can be found simply by reviewing a few of the chapter headings: Keep Your Word Every Time, Stay Proactive About Your Health, Write Down The Important Things, Build Yourself A Small Library (one of my faves!), Rise to The Occasion Often, Fight Resentment Before It Festers, Listen With Your Whole Heart. 

I finished the easy read last week while on a flight to Tampa.  The person sitting next to me asked if she could look at the book.  She ended up reading about a third of it.  As we were preparing to deboard at our destination, she reluctantly handed the book back to me, saying that she was going to buy a copy for herself so she could finish it.  That’s two recommendations to read this book – mine and hers!

If you would like a copy for yourself or to give as a gift (perfect for graduations!), order through Amazon, Barnes and Noble or ChristianBook.com.

Note: A copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers through the BookSneeze blogger review program.  Neither the author, publisher, nor anyone else influenced or reviewed the content of this post; the opinion expressed is entirely my own.

In honor of the day, here are some quotes by people named Joe:

A person always doing his or her best becomes a natural leader, just by example. -Joe DiMaggio

Life is a matter of some really tough choices. -Joe Biden

To be a leader, you have to make people want to follow you, and nobody wants to follow someone who doesn’t know where he is going. -Joe Namath

Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls. -Joseph Campbell

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.