There are events in our life that are so deeply branded in our minds that we remember in vivid detail every second and every detail and every emotion of the moments surrounding the event. March 15th 2016 is one of those days for me. I was coming off an amazing few action-packed days in NYC meetings and was headed to my second favorite city, Atlanta, for more meetings. It was the busiest, craziest and exciting work week ever! I was in airports, traveling, in my favorite cities, knee deep in financial and operational reports & finally working with the NYC assets. All my favorite things. Life couldn’t be better! It was the best of times for me, but that would quickly turn upside down.
We were in the airport in NYC on our way ATL. I was one of the last to board the plane and noticed my mother calling me as I made my way down the aisle, my hands much too full of luggage to answer. My mother rarely calls during the day, knowing that my schedule would stay full of meetings and travel. I remember feeling a slight annoyance that she was calling, knowing I’d probably be busy. I didn’t plan on returning the call until later in the evening. She’d be used to me not answering.
Then, as I slid into my seat in the back of the plane, a text from my dad that changed everything. My youngest brother, Jordan was in a car accident and was alive but in the hospital. That was literally all I knew and while I knew that he was alive, I was immediately overwhelmed with the emotion that in an instant, I could have lost my brother. These were the moments that changed everything. For him. For me. For our entire family.
My brother was on his way to visit my dying grandmother on his spring break from college. He was driving by himself from Virginia to Indiana when the accident happened on a two-lane road that is notorious for speeding, illegal passing and fatalities. A Toyota Corolla was illegally passing a truck and a semi at speeds in excess of 80 MPH (it is estimated) when it hit Jordan’s Camry head on. Jordan had been following all the rules, as he always does, and was driving at the speed limit of 55 MPH. It was nothing short of a miracle that he survived and his injuries, while extreme, could have been much worse.
It is hard to believe that it was a year ago today that all this happened. Time seems to have flown by rapidly from that fateful day. I am sure the journey has felt much longer to him as he is the one that endured being bedridden in a hospital for a month and then another 8 weeks confined to a wheelchair. He is the one that has had to endure the pain and agony of countless broken bones in his feet, legs, hips, thumb, jaw and the subsequent surgeries, pins, plates, bars and chains needed to secure his bones back together. He had to endure weeks in traction and frustrating setbacks of unexpected surgeries. He has had to endure walking again with loss of mobility, muscle atrophy and intense pain.
I am sure he wouldn’t mention the amount of pain he still feels with most every step he takes. His injuries left him with the mobility and arthritis of an 80-year-old man. That doesn’t mean he has resigned to accepting this as his fate. He hasn’t. He was determined to get back into college by fall and not get slowed down from his path to be a doctor. He has jogged a 5K, rode his unicycle and continues to persevere with a positive and determined spirit every day. His attitude and indomitable spirit is an example that the rest of us should aspire to.
I have said before and I will say it again, the accident was a reminder of how fleeting our life truly is. We can be following all the rules, being as safe and responsible as possible and in an instant, something far beyond our control happens. In reality, we are not as in control of our lives as much as we would like to believe. In the end the only thing you can do is live each day to its fullest and by that I mean living each day to accomplish your purpose and your destiny. Our purpose and our destiny were not designed to be selfish pursuits. Life is too short to spend it living just for yourself in a meaningless existence that no one will remember after you are gone. Life is too short to only just think about all the things you are supposed to be doing but got sidetracked from accomplishing due to the lure of money, comfort and complacency. Life is too short to be stuck on an endless hamster wheel, mindlessly trudging through the monotony of a daily routine that someone said we must endure while we daydream of more important things that are seemingly just beyond our grasp.
Our lives should be lived giving life away to others, serving others and blessing other. When we are gone, our money will soon be gone, as will our job titles and successes and the countless hours spent on our education so we can be the smartest or spent at work so we can make that bonus or get that promotion. In the end, the only thing that will endure will be the impact that we have in the lives of others. This is the only investment that we can make that can truly pay dividends for eternity. If we can touch one life, they may touch another and then another and another for ages to come. Our love, kindness and service can set a chain reaction that truly changes the world.
Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing? Do I have any more time to waste? Am I investing enough in people? These were the things that I contemplated after my brother’s accident and partly what set off the chain of events that has led me to where I am now, serving among the refugees, fatherless and orphaned poor, needy and broken hearted in Beirut, Lebanon.
More on this to come……