HCLM BLOG

On July 10th Betty and I had officially been married for 33 years. On November 27th of this year my oldest will turn 30years old. On November 8th I will turn 55 years old. Each of these items causes me a certain amount of pain, since I am not very happy about the aging process. For instance I am incensed that I will not be able to teach my grandson to slide into second the way I was able to teach my sons, doing it myself!!! Those days are gone. All that aside, my am very happy to have been with Betty Jean Hoyer for all of these 33 years!

She and I met in College and i was fortunate enough to convince her to marry me and I have never been sorry (I can't speak for her on this). As I look back on the years I realize that I would never be the person that I am today if I did not have her in my life, I could never have accheived what I have been able to accheive or accomplish what I have accomplished. In our family I shudder to think what our kids would have turned out like if I had not had Betty to raise them into adults. We were with some of her friends from the Orlando Science Center last week and I realized again just what she has given up to be a part of what we have as a couple! If left on her own she would have gone on to accheive even more, than she has today.

 Perhaps more important that how I feel about the years that we have spent together, I am tremendously excited for the years that lie ahead. I am looking forward to growing old with her, she is the one i want to look at from my rocking chair. What a gift God has given me to have her in my life. I do not thank Him or her nearly enough for all the joy that she brings to me. I love you Betty and can't wait for what the years will bring.     

Soo what do you think? I recently made it back to my High School Reunion. That's 10 year for those that are keeping track. It was an interesting experience; but not overwhelming in either a good or bad way. I have not really kept in touch with anyone from my class (over 500 from Lake Mary my year); though I suppose in the age of online social networks that means something different than it used to. Nevertheless it was fun to see those old friends; but also a little weird. People clumping as they did in high school. I found myself giving the same sort of awkward smile and head nod I gave to the same people I used to pass in the hall 10 years ago .

Once we left Megan mentioned: isn't it sort of weird. Talking with these people as if you know each other: when a lot about you has changed in 10 years.

I thought about that for awhile and wanted to agree 100% Because I know I've changed. But even so there was something comfortable about it. I can remember telling my parents that relationships were more important that grades in high school (ahh the melo-dramitic trials of a high-school student). I guess some things don't change. I may even manage to be friends again with some of those old high school folk. Maybe they've changed too.

Chris texted me the other day with the news that the Magic traded Rafer Alston and some other guys for Vince Carter. I don't really know who Vince Carter is (remember I'm admittedly a bandwagon Magic fan) but Alston sure looked like a stud during the finals.In other trade talk: this morning I saw that the Cardinals traded for Mark Derosa. This is good news for them, they needed another strong right handed bat to keep them in the running for their division title (remember that baseball is a thinking man's game so naturally I follow it much more that the NBA).

On a team it is so easy to see: you need the right people to get where you want to go.

I recently got to talk to a group of pastors. We were talking about the call of followers of Jesus in his kingdom. I made the point that you hear a lot: people capital are the only capital that matters. You no longer need a lever long enough to move the world, you just need the right people. Jesus knew that when he picked his followers, I wonder if we remember that.

Where do you want to go? If you're going to get there, you need the right people in your life. This is certainly true for business, but that's not what I'm talking about. I mean what sort of life do you want to live? What sort of person do you want to be? What sort of things do you want to be engaged in? What sort of social life are you interested in?

If we are going to live, we need to have people in our lives; if we are going to live on purpose, we need to be intentional about who they are.