March 24th - Visit #3

WOW!! What an incredible weekend!  My first visit with family was an overwhelming time of learning, growing and understanding.  My aunt and uncle are amazing people who love God and family.  Their lives are such an inspiration to me.  My uncle, who I have always thought was almost perfect, allowed me see to his inner thoughts and feelings.  He spent time sharing what he knows of my family for the past 3 generations and how that has shaped us. We are probably a pretty typical family with skeletons in closets, crazy stories, failed relationships and people trying to make their way in this thing called life. 

He shared his perception of why things are the way they are in our family. He helped me to understand my inner drive, work ethic, how I relate to people and my insecurities. Both sides of my family have a very strong sense of drive which can be mentally and physically overwhelming at times. He shared how he has handled this over the course of his life. My cousin Justin even chimed in and shared some of his journey. Justin’s insights were amazing and almost eerily correct. It is interesting to me, how even though we aren’t connected on a daily basis, being from the same family creates many of the same issues (good and bad).

My aunt, who I also hold in high esteem, talked about how we have a choice to let our circumstances and backgrounds dictate who we are or we can choose to rise above anything and experience joy. She has “joy” signs all over her house to be a constant reminder of this. I think this is a great idea and plan to do the same around my house and office. It is so easy for me to get caught up in the everyday things of life and not remember this. Max is a mentor teacher in her school district so we had a lot of education “stuff” to visit about as well.

When I left their house, I stopped on my way home and climbed Enchanted Rock.  It was a very peaceful time of reflection and beauty. I was able to spend several hours reflecting on my journey so far. As I have said before, this journey has been about connecting with people in my life who have inspired me and meant a tremendous amount to me.  I am thrilled to be spending this year with the people I love the most and learning great things in the process. I truly think that this is becoming a life changing journey. Can’t wait for next month!!

March 16th - Visit #3 Planned

My March visit will be my first with actual family. I will be traveling to Boerne, Texas to visit and receive wisdom from my Uncle Fred and Aunt Max. My Uncle is number five of six kids on my moms side of the family. My mom is number two. Fred has obviously know me since I was born and known my mom since he was born. He has great insight into my extended family and I am looking forward to him sharing some of this insight. He has always been a Quiet Rock in my eyes. He thinks a lot, takes it all in and is very reserved in his sharing of thoughts. Kind of reminds me of me. :)
I was quite excited when Fred decided to bring Aunt Max into the family. I remember helping my Uncle wrap a gift (a cross necklace) for my soon to be Aunt. The wrapping job looked great except one end was wrapped up and the other end was wrapped down. I guess it didn't matter to her because she soon joined our crazy family. Aunt Max is from Valentine, Texas. When you are from Valentine, you are FUN! You have to be because there is nothing to do in Valentine. Max and I created our own fun on many occasions. Spending many a New Years Eve in Marathon, Texas requires the invention of fun. Coconuts, meat cleavers and ice picks were included one year. Memories were made!! Fred and Max have always been a stable force in my life. We don't talk much but when we do, I always come away feeling better about myself, my family and life in general. I really look forward to our visit.

February 27 - Visit #2

For my #2 visit on my 49 year journey, I spent the night visiting with Mary Carole Strother.  MC has been an incredible inspiration in my career and life. She has encouraged me to challenge and stretch myself beyond what I ever thought I could. She has given me tremendous career advice and has helped me think through my next move on several occasions. We have presented together, learned together and collaborated on many a project. I always look forward with anticipation to a call with a new idea that involves a new technology that we must figure out for the next project or presentation. These calls often happen late at night - long after my creative brain has gone to sleep but MC is still up, dreaming up the next idea. She is one of the most energetic, creative, hard working people I know. She stays up on the latest technology integration and inspires many of us to do the same. She is always willing to share the spotlight if you will only step up and learn. 

We spent time talking about work - what is the next "thing" on the horizon, our families - we both have two great boys and husbands, retirement, spiritual matters... I think she felt a little like she needed to say something spectacular because she knew I was going to write about it but that is not the point. Spending time with my amazing, inspirational people is all I am looking for. She continually challenges and inspires me to be my best me.

MC asked me what was the biggest thing I had learned so far on this journey.  I have learned that people and relationships are what life is all about. The destination on this journey is Jan. 1, 2014 when I turn 50, but the journey I am on is the people along the way that I can visit with, enjoy and learn from. This past month I have had a long dinner with Chris, enjoyed dinner with a former student, scheduled lunch with teachers on my campus and just concentrated on listening with intent to others. People are what life is about!! I am thrilled that God put Mary Carole in my life to be one of the people who share my journey with me.