Welcome Eden Gail Savanna

Well guess who has a sister?  Yep, young master Jax Ellis.  I saw her for the first time yesterday and thought what an adorable child.  You know we never really look good in those first pictures.  Well this baby did.  Then my adopted sister, her DeDe, sent me a picture today, one day later, and this baby is beautiful.  I sound like a proud adopted Uncle huh?  Well I am.

As you contemplate her future what comes to mind?  Well the first thing to my mind is her wonderful parents.  These two have taken young Jax and taught him to talk, recognize colors, dinosaurs, birds, people, parts of his body and numerous other things.  You say “My grand kid can do that too and was doing it before this kid!” NOPE he does it in Spanish and English!  Suddenly your hand has come down and your jaw has dropped! So she has that going for her.  She has her DeDe and Poppie as well.  As you know these two are unreal.  In my life I have never seen a couple more committed to their children and now their children’s, children.  She has 3 uncles and 2 aunts that are so ready to get their hands on this baby that they are almost fighting for first in line.  She has another thing as well; she has so much love following her that there is no way this child will every fall.  And lastly but certainly not least she will have a cousin that is one week younger than her, Jade, more on her next week.  I can remember when I was a younger man my cousins were my rock.  They were the ones with whom I discovered life.  We taught each other how to cuss, smoke, fish, hunt, drive, chase girls and everything in-between.  I could fill these pages with stories about my cousins and I.

So Eden Gail Savanna, welcome angel.  I will give the same advice I gave your brother.  Watch your family, emulate them. Learn from them.  Treasure them.  You have been blessed to be born into a very special group of people.  They will always have your back and will always love you.  This, my dearest one is life’s greatest blessing, family.  And that’s coming from a person who knows a lot about blessings.  You see I have been with them for over 15 years and they treat me like that, the most special thing; you are that.  

Please live that every day.  I Love you my dear.

Peace,

Your Adopted, whether you like it or not, Uncle

The Blessed Man

Forgotten / Ego

I have never considered myself to have an ego problem.  I always try to accommodate others needs before my own.  I have been a team player my entire life.  I simply didn’t even fathom I could have an ego problem.  Well maybe I do!

You see for the last 15 years I lead the best sale team in Memphis.  We made all goals except for the last quarter of one year.  We were tight we worked together on all projects for the good of the team.  I was proud to call myself a member.  Well I have left the safety of my team.

Thanksgiving is time of reflection and thankfulness, for me anyway.  I was sitting in my office one afternoon the week of Thanksgiving and decided I would write my old team and simply say happy thanksgiving I miss y’all.  I wrote a very heartfelt letter and sent it.  I got one response 3 days later.  Needless to say I was crushed.  I felt like I would get a response from every member returning my heartfelt thanksgiving wish at the very least.  I got zero.  At first I was hurt, then angry, then after a little reflection thought about my dad.

You see he was my greatest grounder if that’s a saying.  I was a fair football player during my younger years and there were times I thought I was better than others.  He always seemed to know exactly what to say to get me to realize I really wasn’t.  I know where the thoughts of greatness came from, they came from my coach.  He wanted everyone to feel like they were the best walking.  But now as I look back I know he only meant on the field.  Once you get off of the field you remember you are just another person trying to make it in life.  Well it seems like I got off the field, Memphis, but forgot to reenter life.  I remember one time when I was at the airport once again I was thinking I was special at my job and my boss at the time and I were talking; and after a small rant about all of my extremely good qualities, I stopped.  He took a drag off his cigarette and looked me dead in the eyes.  He said” What do you think I pay you to do?” I was stunned.  He was exactly correct.  Everything I was telling him about my talents was part of my everyday responsibilities.  He finished by saying if you left tomorrow in 3 weeks no one would remember you.  I was wounded.  My Dad had always been a little kinder in his returning me to mortality. 

However, at the end of the day he was correct.  In our everyday lives we are only living in our small world.  If you are in it, then you matter.  If you move out, then you don’t; hard but true fact of life.  Think about your experiences?  Been there done that or maybe you are not as needy as I am for maintaining relationships.  Maybe there is my down fall.  I wanted to keep being a part of the team.  I wanted to know they were alright and making their numbers and keeping our accounts as happy as they were when I was there.  Ego?  I think maybe.  Shocked, yes.

So maybe it is true.  Out of sight out of mind?  Man I hope not.  I can’t imagine going back to Memphis and the family not really caring if we got together or not!  Man that would leave a mark for sure.  My adopted sister not having time to be with me that would be like losing a real sister. I would simply die.  

I guess in the end we all want to know we made a difference in the way the team played.  We all want to be a part or the part that makes the team a winner.  We all need to be recognized as important.  Maybe a little ego is a good thing.  I know this for sure.  I have left two very successful teams in my work life.  I also know this more important thing.  They are both still in the game.  I was not that big a deal.  Maybe I was important at the moment; I will keep thinking I was.  However, in the big picture both teams are still trucking playing the game we used to play without my help.  And now as I write this I am happy.  Would it have been great to hear from every member that they missed me and wished I were there?  Yes.  Would I have returned? No.  They know this, so I am out of sight out of mind.  They know the team is more important than any one player they have moved on and are showing me they have and letting me know I should too.  Like someone once said “There is no I in team”

Well guess I better get about the business of getting my new team together.  This should be a blast.

Thanks for listening

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Thanksgiving

Well it’s that time of year when we all get together eat like we are not ever going to get sick.  Watch football and drink the best wine we have.  Oh yeah and remember the things we are thankful for.  The wife and I were talking the other day and we have decided this is our favorite holiday because it has not commercially been ruined.  Yes the turkeys go on sale and the whole black Friday thing but other than that it is still about being thankful for what we have.

As I start my list this year the first thing I am thankful for is my lovely wife.  She has been my strength and power for the last 3 or 4 months.  There has been a lot of change in our lives and she hasn't even flinched and I know inside sometimes she has.  But I have never seen her sweat.  A blessing beyond all recognition she has been to me.

I am also thankful for my new home.  My new friends we have made and the new life we have begun.  We have met some of the nicest people here and they are all becoming my new found family. 

I am thankful that my son.  He seems to have finally found someone who he trusts and loves.  He has started working and shows tell tell signs of becoming the man I knew was inside of him.  I feel like now I was the reason it hasn't reared its head until now.  But he seems to be coming along just fine without me there to rescue him from every hang nail he has.  I am proud of his growth.

However, there is a touch of sadness among all of the thankfulness.  You see this is the first holiday I will not be a part of the Memphis family Thanksgiving in about 12 years.  I will not be there cooking and messing with my adopted sister and enjoying with my Memphis family.  They will all gather tonight and sit and enjoy great food, great wine and great company.  I will truly miss each and every one of them.  I hope they all know I will be thinking of them today and still thankful they are a part of my life even from a great distant.  I am blessed to have two of them here with us for the holiday.  So that will dampen the blow a great deal.  After all of these years I still need my family around to make it Thanksgiving. I will still be missing my adopted Sister and her wonderful husband.   It was my Mother’s favorite time of year.  If you have read the other Thanksgiving posts you know all of the stories.  They will all reappear to me late today as I taste my first bite of Succotash.  Miss you Mother.

Well the old Blessed man has a lot to be thankful for today.  Friends and Family always will top my list.  And once again I will be surrounded by them all day today. 

May you be as well.

Peace,

The Blessed Man