When a tragic event takes place in your world and you feel swallowed up by that huge black cloud, dig deep and you can find the silver lining, I promise. In hind site I can even see the "good" that came from my two failed marriages and subsequent divorces. Do you think that sounds nuts? Well that's a most for another day.
Today I want to talk about a day that makes my heart a little sad, but never the less, a day that changed my life forever for the better. The sad comes from loss... loss of things that money can never replace. There was a crib. A crib that legend tells was purchased 2nd hand in our nation's capital when my mom was born for the sum of $5.00. It had missing slats on the side and my Papa replaced them. It was plain and my Grandmother fixed that with some bears she put on the bed and made it her own. My mother, my aunts... Patricia, Marie and Charlotte and Uncle Eugene all came home from the hospital to that crib. Then it belonged to my mother and first me, then my baby brother slept there, then it was out on loan to varies family members for my cousins and then it belonged to me and I brought Abigail home and placed her in the same crib that my Papa bought in 1944 for my Mom. On November 22, 1993 an F4 tornado destroyed that crib and well... there was not a single thing I could do to change it.
Other various sentimental family things were lost that day as well. Some valuable and some just silly sentimental things.
But... Not only was I filled with gratitude for the safety of my family that day. That day that brought 86 injuries and 5 deaths of people I knew to my community, but the days that followed renewed my faith in people in a way that hadn't been done before and has stayed with me. First... there were the little things. And if you ever had a 4 year old then you know the wonder of the new shiny thing they just LOVE. Well my daughter had gotten a swing set a few months earlier for her birthday and my Daddy had just anchored it down a few days before. It survived and it gave my little 4 year old Abigail a delight. It was the very first thing she asked about when she saw the devastation.
Then there was the deputy with cold fried bologna sandwiches and hot coffee in his trunk. There was the salvation army bringing by a food truck with hot meals daily. There was my Aunt who took Abigail home with her for a few days to give me time to help my family clean up and deal with things, it's hard to keep a 4 year old happy with no power in winter with it raining inside the house. There was my preacher's wife who took a box that survived of wet soggy baby clothes home with her and washed and dried and packed and returned them to me. There was the service organization in town that helped make Abigail's Christmas brighter that year. There was even my x-husband who spent a day helping rebuild a storage building (most likely one of the hardest things for me to have/show gratitude for that ever occurred in my life).
I have not seen a tragedy on television since that day where I do not shed a tear for the feelings and loss of others that I know personally. I am quick to reach out to lend a hand be it a personal donation or a charity organization helping the area. I have not ended a phone call with family without telling them I love them since then. Which makes me happy because I've lost people since that the very last words they heard me say were "I love you".
Equally important has been that my new "attitude of gratitude" that filled my heart after a tragic event in my life of course flowed over into my business life as well. As for the timing, I had just started working at Lane Realty a few month prior to that event.... and it changed how I relate to clients in a "situation" be it divorce, financial hardship ect... I became a more compassionate person at work. I became more determined to not accept failure. I became more determined to find a solution to every problem. I felt more gratitude for business and figured out ways to say it and show it.
I believe that with the evolution of time when I became the broker/owner it made me a better boss. I think that I always need to show gratitude to my agents as well as our clients and customers. That event also led me to be more involved in my community through fund raisers, non profits and civic organizations. It renewed my faith and spirit and allowed me the opportunity many times since then to pay forward the kindness given to my family when we really needed it.
I've also made it a goal to find a way to make someone's Thanksgiving and Christmas a little better each year. It could be as simple as a very large tip or paying for their groceries if they are obviously counting the cash they have on hand while they are being rung up. Giving to others and spreading a little reason for gratitude in my personal life and offering exceptional service to your clients and appreciation of my agents is how gratitude over flows into my business.
Have you ever experienced a defining moment that changed your attitude about gratitude? Make sure to check out Sally's Defining Gratitude and Goals contest. And read through the entry's you'll find in the comment section there and if were not yet into the spirit of Thanksgiving, you will be after reading just a few of them. Happy Thanksgiving! Keep it safe and don't eat too much.
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