Saturday, December 29, 2007

A Day of Silence

I got sick while spending Christmas in Minnesota. It was a buggersome sickness, the details of which I won't delve into. Today though, upon waking up, I realized that I could not speak! That's right - the voice was gone. For the first time in my life (I believe) I went a day without speaking. I did all my talking through my computer, utilizing LH Michael's voice in Microsoft Word.

I got mixed responses: My mother thought it was annoying, my girlfriend thought it mildly amusing and... well, I didn't try it on anyone else. Interestingly enough, the computer was clear enough for her to understand through my cell phone.

Also, I got several thank you notes done. Well, more than several. Half done!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Intense Loneliness

I've made some difficult decisions recently that I think are what God willed me to do. With that said, for some reason life is very difficult for me right now. Though our business is growing, though I'm near family, though finances are good... everything is good, and yet on top of this mountain, igh above the valley and even looking down on the clouds there is a bittersweet smell that I cannot stomach. It is driving me from the mountain, though I'm not sure what it is or where it comes from.

It started last night as I watched I Am Legend when Robert Neville could do nothing to help humanity. Yes, that made me sad. He labored for years and then at his crowning moment, he died. He wasn't able to enjoy the fruit of his years of labor. Then, as I watched The Notebook, the feeling returned, as two lovers who worked hard on their family and enjoyed each other for years are unable to enjoy the twilight of life together.

Perhaps I need to be more heavenly focused - the things of this earth just don't seem worth laboring for sometimes, and other times it seems the more we care, the more we are hurt.

Or, maybe I just didn't have any coffee today.

I am Legend

I give this movie 2/5 stars.

By making the infected so... screamy and non-talkative, they just took any play out of the movie. The movie should have been silent, as it would have been an improvement over the ridiculous yells and shrieks of the infected.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Well, Good Things

So, I had to turn down a job offer that I got in MN. I won't say where it was, just that it was something I really wanted to do, and that it was hard to say no to it. I love MN, from one corner to the other, and would have enjoyed the offer. After two weeks of prayer though, not only did I not have any peace about the offer, I felt like the timing was all wrong.

I've structured a pay for performance bonus system in my family business. We're continuing to implement a lot of changes this year, from staffing to computer systems to basic operations, and this is going to be a breakthrough year for the company. Well, another breakthrough year, as '07 has been phenomenal. The difference between '07 and '08 that I hope to see is increase in revenue, like '07 saw, without the HUGE costs. Expanding our offices, putting in a world class phone system, putting in a world class network, already having to expand the phone system AGAIN... it's crazy, ya know?

But, the Lord has been good to my family, me, and the business. I'm working on getting everything full flow by April, then training my successor and leaving in mid-December of next year... and that is contractual. Then, back to MSP to finish school.

I won't lie... I don't want to be here in Memphis. If I didn't feel it was what the Lord had for me right now and that it was part of his plan for my life, I would not be here.