I look forward to looking back to see how far I’ve come. The past, present, and the future seem to crystalize into a notebook. Each page you turn in your dreams brings clarity to the visions that is the reality defined by the hourglass of time.
Along the way are defining moments that seemed innocuous, a single event, a step away from something or towards something. And then as we look back those moments become a collection of variables like a math problem solved by the passage of time.
I joined a fraternity (Sigma Nu) at Chico State University in northern California that produced one of those “defining moments”. I didn’t realize at the time what a difference, and what a powerful statement joining an organization, a group of men, with a single mind-set could be.
A brotherhood with a voice that spoke to those who joined about the importance of “love, truth, and honor” and how that message is timeless. That message is the glue that binds our interaction with others so that we can listen, improve, and connect with humanity in such a way that cultivates our greatest strengths.
Today I look at the brotherhood which is still vibrant and growing as a legacy to those that started it, those who built it, and those that defined it. The values set forth by those men that started Sigma Nu fraternity January 1st 1869 at the Virginia Military Institute are a timeless reminder of what power there is in the fortuitous gathering of young men to propel ideas into the next two centuries and beyond.
Another event that took place that helped direct, change, and vitalize my life that I did see coming was the birth of our daughter, Chelsea. Those of you reading this can relate to the wonderful change we experience when we are blessed to have children. Children are the single most important gift to help you take your eyes off yourself and put them on another person. I always wondered (in my youth) how my parents could overlook certain “situations” that seemed to me to be inexcusable. However, after I was blessed with Chelsea I realized the definition of ” unconditional love”.
As life moves forward with our family and friends we understand the value of these relationships and the umbrella of wisdom it takes to insure these important connections last for as long as forever is.
This post is sponsored by PAZAZ™ “The Magic of Cooking” kitchen tools for the discerning chef. Please go to www.pazazshop.com to purchase our Silicone Baking Mat, Heavy Duty Aluminum Baking Sheet Pan, and our Steel Mesh Cooling Rack.