I was privileged to hear a great speech at Toastmasters the other week by one of our newest members: "Lucky" Ray Fitzgerald. When he joined our club, he gave his Ice-Breaker (the first speech) and said he would tell us later why he was called Lucky. This is the follow-up speech he gave:
(Sorry I did such a poor job on the camera work Lucky!)
The love he received from his boys helped bring Lucky back from the brink. It gave him the motivation and drive to become an example for his sons. It's heartening but also scary. That one moment changed the direction of his life. What if his boys had been out in the yard at that moment? Would it have happened at another time? The thing about his realization that gets to me is that his boy's love and adoration was there regardless of whether or not he realized it. How many of us have love and adoration but don't appreciate or even realize it?
I wish I could say that I've always held close the love my family and friends have had for me. I hate that sometimes I have to be reminded of it before I appreciate it. But when I do keep it in the forefront of my mind, I always do better: At work, at home, at life in general.
So take a moment and hug your child, call your parents, take a walk with your spouse, write a note to a friend. God gave us each other for a reason.
Now go out and do great things.
