What's Your Message

I was at a meeting with a group of guys last night. It's something I do a few times a week to make sure I don't reek havok on the rest of you. Yet again...you're welcome. I was sitting at the front of the room with 75 other men and out of the corner of my eye, diagonal from me, was a man in a wheelchair. The talk revolved around helping others. Moreover how helping others helps us to stay on the right path. A real "part of the human chain" kind of thing.

I know this has nothing to do with football but what can I say, I'm like an onion, I've got a lot of layers. And my smell will make you cry. Half way through the discussion the gentleman sitting next to the man in the wheelchair (we'll call him Bill) asked him to share.

"Bill" went into the hospital for a medical procedure about a year ago and because of a freak accident in surgery he had a stroke and was paralyzed. He spoke for about five minutes while everyone leaned in intently as they tried to understand his slurred speach. Every now and then he would raise a handkerchief to wipe his mouth as the paralasis would cause him to drool from time to time.

He was hard to understand throughout most of it, but if nothing else, you could hear his joy. You never once heard anger or distain in his voice. He was happy; happy to be around friends, happy to breathe fresh air, happy to be alive. As he wraped up his talk there was one thing that stuck with me.

"Bill" wiped his mouth and he said, "I know I'm suppose to carry the message, but first I must know what the message is I am carrying." This made me think, if I was to die today, what message would I leave behind? Do we leave a message behind at all?

I don't know what message I would leave but I know what message I want to leave behind. When I die if all I'm known for is being a good father and a good husband I will be happy. I want to be nothing more than a man among men and a worker among workers. Because that's what really matters; the ability to love and be loved.

So, what message will you leave behind?

P.S.- Payton and Ashley, I love you.