Anyone who is alive, should celebrate today. The past several days have reminded me about the precioiusness of life. In my  ”My Stroke of Insight” post, I wrote about the tragic death of the brother of one of my best friends. Since then, the wife of another friend was killed in a head-on collison on the way to the grocery store and a friend of my twelve year old son, died while running too hard in the heat of summer. All this in a span of about 10 days.  These tragedies are difficult to understand.  While now is the time to grieve for those close to these families, there comes a time to heal.  While healing takes many forms and I certainly am not an expert on the subject, I like to weigh in. Below are some things I have done when I have experienced loss:

Cry - it’s important to let it all out, freely.

Remember - Spend some alone time thinking about memories that were created with the person who you lost. Watching video tapes, while difficult, can keep the memories alive and remind you of cherished times from the past. 

Write - start a journal both for the sake of posterity AND to help with healing.

Act - Ten years ago, I lost my best friend to Melanoma. Both to deal with my own grief and to help give him hope, I started a foundation in his memory. To date, our foundation has raised almost $500,000 to give away to people who can’t afford treatment and to try to find a cure for Melanoma.  There have been over 20 athletic events in Florida and Colorado to raise money for the foundation. Tomorrow, there will be an event in East Tennessee to Rayz Awareness, our mantra, about the dangers of too much sun exposure.  There will be something for everyone: a 1mile fun run, a 5K run, a 10K run, free skin cancer screenings, massage therapist, and music by a local group called Pistol Creek (they are a totally fun blue grass band). There was a story in yestedays Daily Times which you can read by clicking here: 5K and 10K run in East Tennessee.

Below are the other details:

When: Saturday June 14th

Where: The Rush Fitness Center in Alcoa (new Midland Plaza) Call 273-1360 or visit www.TheRush247.com for directions 

When: 7:30 pm (we are having it at night for OBVIOUS reasons!) Note: Registration begins at 6:30 

Why: Because skin cancer is the fastest growing, most preventable form of cancer.

Cost: $25 IF you print this and bring with you.

There will be t-shirts, free sunscreen, prizes, and more.

It’s Friday the 13th, go ahead make YOUR day. 

NOTE: The picture below is from our Colorado event. Kathy, Bill’s widow is on the left with a melanoma AND breast cancer survivor and her friend. That’s a whole another story!  

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

Yesterday, was a great day and an really bad one too. Why it was great: I attended my first Decoration Day Celebration with my family and was able to ride the Cades Cove loop with my son.  Previous to yesterday, I had little knowledge of Decoration Day. To the relatives and families of those burried in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Decoration Day is a time to honor their families burried there. They travel to churches in the place there ancestors settled in the pioneer days to decorate their graves and celebrate their heritage. As I sat in a hard wooden pew listening to singing without musical instruments, a bird flew into the room. Then the cicadas kicked it up a notch. It was a visual and audio feast for eyes and ears. I imagined 100 years earlier when the pioner farmers rode many miles to the old church in a covered wagon or horse drawn carriage. It was a treat to meet some of the people for whom history may someday forget. Sadly, the park service is making it difficult for these celebrationt to continue though some of the people who attended lived in the Cove until moved by the US Government.  I heard the old-timers talk on the way out about Decoration Day in the past where there were so many people that the church couldn’t hold them all. It was a great day with my family but a terrible one for one of my best friends. While we were enjoying learning about how people celebrate life, my buddy was questioning why life was so hard. His brother, father of two precious little girls, took his life yesterday.  In doing so, he changed the lives of so many who knew and loved him. Yes, yesterday was a very good and terrible day - a day when many would like a “do over”. Yet another reminder of the preciousness of life. Hug your child a little tighter today. Reach out to someone you know who might be going through a tough time. Write a letter to a friend and tell them how much they mean to me. Pick up the phone and have a heart to heart conversation. Life is so very precious…

This past weekend, while attending a confirmation retreat with my son, I had the good fortune to “bump into” Duffy Robbins who  was the speaker for the weekend. He was just coming into breakfast while I was finishing but I invited him to join me. Frankly, I was surprised he joined me since he had a paper under one arm and later told me he had a full day workshop to plan. Though I am an extreme extrovert (I make my living as a professional speaker) there are times when I am on the road when I just want to be by myself. I don’t want to talk to anyone and just want to be alone with my thoughts, a good book, or the morning paper. There are times when I like to strike up conversations, even with total strangers. I’m grateful that Duffy was open to and accepted my invite to talk to someone who was a “stranger”.

Duffy is one of the most dynamic, effective, and humorous youth speakers I have every heard and author of a great book about speaking to teenagers. I first heard him speak at St. Simon’s Georgia in 1992 while chaperoning a youth retreat. At the time, I was youth director at Beach United Methodist Church and a newly married man. My wife and I accompanied the youth of our church on the retreat shortly after our honeymoon. There is nothing more unromantic than spending a weekend with hundreds of hormone producing youth. I still vividly remember both hours of sleep I got that weekend and learning fifty seven ways to use your arm pit and nose to gross out your friends. The only song I can remember from that weekend was Kum Ba Ya (we were proud of our spiritual kids)! Actually, the kids tarred and feathered me ANYTIME I broke out my guitar to sing Kum Ba Ya or Pass it On (two songs from the Greatest Hits of the 60’s and 70’s church camp retreat album). I used to enjoy embarrassing them by showing up at the schools at lunch time with my guitar for a song fest. No these kids were way too cool for that but they sang the timeless classic hit by Right Said Fred - “I’m Too Sexy for my Shirt” about 17 trillion times. Some (guys and girls) even acted it out on the back of the bus I was later told. Ah, to have a positive impact on young people. Anyway, it was a good thing I was only working “part-time” OR I would have been a full resident at the home for mentally deranged youth workers.

My “other job”, which kept me sane, was as a full-time professional speaker where I got to speak to people who thought about something other than practical jokes and the opposite sex. I was also president of my local professional speakers association. ANYTIME, I came in contact with someone who was an effective presenter, I would “pounce” on them and tell them that they had to join the National Speakers Association. Way back in 1992, I had a few minutes with Duffy and told him both about NSA and urged him to consider speaking to corporations. I still remember Duffy’s reply though it was 16 years ago. He told me that he was passionate about speaking to youth. He went on to explain that he knew youth, was good at speaking to them, and had no desire to speak to corporations where I had assured him he could make lots more money. He was focused and knew exactly what he wanted to do and how to use the talents for which he had acquired. Though I didn’t ask why he didn’t want to entertain my suggestions, I understand now. Simply stated, he knew who he was and where he shined. IF branding had been in vogue then, he would have been the poster boy for branding for youth speakers. In addition to knowing his voice, his place and his craft, he has designed a lifestyle many would covet. He teaches two or three classes a semester at Eastern College on Mondays and Wednesdays. He gets a month off at Christmas and has every summer off. He travels all over North America delivering seminars for Youth Specialties. He has recently been granted his second sabbatical, this one lasting 18 months. I’m pretty convinced that there is a big correlation between his lifestyle by design and his rigor and love for youth ministry. I think his time off makes him even better at it. I think his focus keeps him passionate about youth ministry and makes him one of the best speakers in the youth market. His time off renews his relationships, helps him be excellent, and keeps his fire burning.

I wonder what would happen to employee loyalty, turnover, and motivation in companies that provided more flexibility for their employees? Would companies that gave stellar employees time to pursue outside interests, write books, or take sabbaticals see benefits that affected their bottom line? What cha thinking?

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

Memphis, TN. Birth place of the Blues, the home of Elvis, Graceland and my home the last few days. I am staying and speaking at the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis. It was my last Memphis trip that inspired my blog post entitled rendezvous which was also inspired in part by the great dry ribs restaurant of  the same name across the street. I walked into rendezvous tonight (after waiting in a long line) just to take in the aroma and experience the nostalgia. I also wanted to call my friend Charles for whom I had FEDEX-ed some of rendezvous ribs last year (Charles and his wedding party and friends ate there for his batchelor party). I am sure it would have been a spiritual experience for both of us but alas, I wrote down his number incorrectly and some poor person back home got me launching into a “I wish you were here” song made up spontaneously just for “Charles”. I opted to send him a telepathic messge instead (which I haven’t received confirmation that he received yet).

So for my progressive dinner which started with a whiff of rendezvous, then a main course at a new restaurant named Mesquite Chop House, and finally desert with some friends I met visiting from Tel Aviv, it was a RICH evening and a perfect end to a great day. I am now in a great frame of mind for my keynote speech tomorrow to managers for Fogelman Properties, a Memphis apartment management company.

Mesquite has it right - from the back of their menu:

Always at it’s prime is not just our brand, it’s how we try to live our lives as restaurateurs. We have built a concept in which high standards permeate all aspects of our restaurant. We are passionate about great tasting food and the pleasure of sharing it with others.

Our search for quality not only encompasses our food but our passion for over the top customer service as well. Outstanding customer service is a result of both our team member’s skill and enthusiasm in serving our guests, and their in-depth knowledge and excitement about the food and beverages we sell.

Prime, to us, means being able to meet or exceed your expectations at every visit.

Breaking bread with others and eating well - these are some of the great joys of our lives.

I couldn’t agree more.  I am already prepared for Rendezvous III.

This post is dedicated to my friend Charles Brinkley, whose great humor, passion for good food and service to others is an inspiration. 

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

This photo is from a early morning walk this am in Colorado. I am here to speak to some CEO’s who are part of an organization called Credit Union Executive Society. Had the good fortune to fly in with in minutes of my motivational speaker buddy Scott Friedman who lives here. Scott is a giver. He will help ANYONE who needs help and he volunteers his time with lots of Denver area organizations including Lynn Price’s Camp to Belong. Off to Colorado Springs this am then up to Steamboat Springs tomorrow. Living RICH out west…

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

Last month, while in Memphis, I promised to write about rendezvous. Other stuff took priority and I am starting it now (I MIGHT add comments later or I might just let this post simmer):

My rendezvous have included:

- Sitting on the plane next to a director at Bush Brothers & Company who introduced me to a fabulous book entitled Triple Bottom Line (I’ll report on it later)

- I also had a rendezvous at a rib place called rendezvous (it just doenst’t get any better than that!)

- I had a rendezvous with my client, the Memphis VA. The leadership there is simple amazing (particularly their CEO). She is one of the best leaders I have had the pleasure of knowing.

Now, I am off to have a two rendezvous with nature at one of my favorite places - peaceful lake house in central Florida not far from Ocala National Forrest. I’ll be writing a lot, thinking, praying, reading, enjoying my family, and … who knows. When I come back, things will be different… this blog, my thinking, and my life. Happy New Year.. we’ll “talk” soon!

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.