Loading up the family truckster and heading out for a vacation in Wisconsin this morning.
This song and movie definitely come to mind.
Family vacations always come with some frustration and heartache, but somehow make up for it in the end.
It’s easy to get stuck on the parts of life that are frustrating instead of looking at how it all works out in the end.
Make it a great day.
Jake
To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love. – Oscar Wilde
Great reminder for the day.
A couple of truths in one quote.
Giving ourselves in others is core to loving well.
Loving well is the greatest of these (faith, hope and love).
We can choose love each day by giving ourselves in love.
Make it a great day.
Jake
At Mavidea this week marks our 12 year anniversary. I was reading through old emails and found this one that seemed appropriate to send again.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead
Today marks 8 years for us at Mavidea.
As I think about Mavidea, I almost always think of the above quote.
As I think about the last 8 years, I think of all the ways we have already changed the world.
All the clients served.
All the employees employed.
All the community service.
Something I’ve noticed lately is just how many lives have been touched by Mavidea over the years. I think about all the stories and conversations and can’t help but think about how proud I am of all the Mavideans.
Life has come and gone. Life has changed for many of us, but our commitment to each other and our cause has never wavered.
Want to know the best part?
Our future is going to be even better. We have so much to look forward to and to work toward.
We have many more lives to touch. We are just getting started.
Thank you to all of you for being a part of our attempts at making this world a better place.
Make it a great day.
Love unlocks doors and opens windows that weren’t even there before. – Mignon McLaughlin
Love represents the ultimate change in perspective.
This quote says it well.
Options that once seemed impossible or closed off now seem easily available and in plain sight.
Giving becomes easy, even mandatory.
Sacrifice becomes joy.
Hardship turns into opportunity.
Love is also a verb.
Activity filled with love greases the skids, making everything else seem easy.
Make it a great day.
Jake
I was looking through some old daily attitude emails and came across this one from this time two years ago.
“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” —Shannon L. Alder
My grandmother passed away on Saturday and today is the funeral.
She was a very unassuming person to have left such a great legacy.
In one of Andy Stanley’s podcasts he says something like “Your legacy might not be what you do, but who you raise.”
My grandmother was a homemaker and never even got her driver’s license, but she left a tremendous legacy.
Not that we are perfect, but she helped create a family legacy that will endure and continue to grow.
Each new generation has been touched and influenced by her love and caring.
This is your opportunity as well.
To leave this world better than you found it.
You may not even be the one that accomplishes great things (although I certainly hope you do). Your legacy may be a subtler one, like that of my grandmother.
But it will be something. Each and every day is an opportunity to make an impact and grow your legacy, don’t let them slip past you.
Make it a great day.
Jake
More of slow tapper, really but hopefully it starts your day off right still.
The kids watched Space Jam again recently and the NBA finals started last night so basketball has been on in the house.
It is amazing to watch people at the top of their game/sport/field.
Watching them use their talents to do their best reminds us that better is possible and that doing our best is a worthwhile pursuit.
Tackle your day today with this kind of gusto.
Make it a great day.
Jake
"Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is poverty. Ignorance is devastation. Ignorance is tragedy. Ignorance is illness. It all stems from ignorance." — Jim Rohn
We are all ignorant in that we don’t know everything, but if we continue to be, we can expect what Jim Rohn describes.
While we shouldn’t beat ourselves up over not knowing, we should also never stop our search for knowledge and information to lead us out of our ignorance.
We choose our ignorance.
But we must choose wisely.
For example, it might be wise to be ignorant of the latest happenings on the latest hot TV show while being ignorant of important areas regarding your health might not be so wise.
Choosing ignorance in the important areas of life is a recipe for disaster.
Seek out knowledge and wisdom about what is important to you.
Be ok with not understanding that which is not.
Make it a great day.
Jake
On Saturday we attended a memorial service at the National Veteran’s Cemetery for Meaghan’s uncle who passed away earlier this year.
I snapped the attached picture and couldn’t help but think about how the headstones seemed to go on and on (and this is just one section of one of many cemeteries).
I imagine it as looking back into history and seeing just how many people have sacrificed to put us in the position we are in today.
Sacrifice after sacrifice to give us the freedoms we have today.
Not so that we would be free to be as selfish as we want or to just do whatever we want when we want.
Freedom so that we can choose to also live our lives as these great examples that went before us have – in service to those we love and for a cause that we believe to be worthy.
Love and service freely chosen. Not of compulsion or coercion.
That’s worth fighting for.
Make it a great day.
Jake
That’s all I needed to hear. It turns out that gratitude from a single grandchild trumps the ridicule of any number of critics. With this in mind, I now pass on my granddaughter’s (and my own) thanks to today’s guardians—from front-line leathernecks, to keyboard warriors—who all deserve kudos. All play an important role in keeping us safe. So, thanks to all of you heroes out there who, when the call to serve came, eagerly answered, “You can count on me!”
We do, every single day. – Kerry Patterson
With Memorial Day weekend this weekend I got a newsletter email with the lines above at the end.
That last line really stuck out.
We do, every single day.
We count on those in the armed forces, every day.
We count on them in ways we will never understand.
They give to us in ways we will never be able to repay.
Maybe I’m just getting sappy in my old age, but with each holiday that passes to remember or celebrate those who serve I become more and more aware of just how lucky most of us are.
Evil does exist. And there are men and women who stand between us and that evil.
They do so and continue to do so despite the fact that it comes at an enormous personal cost.
I doubt any of them are thinking of Jake Davis and his little family in Chenoa, IL, but they go out there for us, every day. They do the same for you.
I think it is more than being thankful, though.
To be sure, we should be thankful.
But we should do more than that. We should make the most of the opportunity they have given us. The freedom to choose our path in this world.
We have been given a tremendous gift, not to use it wisely would be unfortunate.
Make it a great day.
Jake
In my better moments as a Christian and a person I seek to have this attitude.
That it all belongs to God and He (alone) is in control.
It is not for me to tighten my grip and white knuckle the steering wheel.
It’s in God’s hands.
Let your worries go (at least a little) today.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Practical Steps for Friendship, Unity and Intimacy in Your Marriage
