Quiet Strength
In high school, I was fortunate to share a music stand with a talented young woman in our school chorus. As often happens, I lost touch with my classmate after high school, because we both moved to different places for college and then started our own lives. We reconnected online and I was thrilled to hear she had pursued a music career and has some recordings to her credit. Her professional success came with a price, however. Her husband, who was a member of her musical group and its manager, was emotionally and physically abusive. And, as often happens, the abuse increased when she had a daughter. Now, my old friend is going through an ugly, messy divorce, trying to protect her child from this predatory monster. My friend’s courage through all this is awesome to behold. My heart aches for the pain she is feeling but I know she’ll survive and thrive when her ex is no longer a part of her life.
A True “Good Guy”
When I was a project manager, my employer was fortunate to have one of the most dedicated, hardworking employees I’ve known as the warehouse manager. He kept the warehouse inventory organized, moved enormous volumes of material each day, and found new ways to improve service while reducing costs. He managed all that while also being the kind of supervisor that people love working for, one who trusts his staff to be professional and rewarding them for extraordinary efforts. He kept his crew working hard but they respected him and gave him their best efforts. After leaving the company, I learned he had started his own landscaping business. The timing was ideal, as Jen and I had purchased a home and needed some help with maintaining the yards. My former colleague gave us exceptional service for the time we had the house. And, he made the place gorgeous when we had it on the market. I’m convinced it sold because he kept the yards and plantings so well maintained. He sold his business and returned to inventory management for another company. He and his wife are doing well and I’m thrilled to stay in touch and hear how happy he is. He’s one of those “good guys” that isn’t often celebrated. So, I’ll celebrate him here.
Volunteer and Reinvent
My family is rather large, with cousins, aunts and uncles located all over the U.S. As a result, I don’t know my cousins quite as well as I’d like. Being the baby of the family and having my parents divorce when I was young made large family get-togethers less likely. Fortunately, I’m back in touch with my extended family online. And, I’m amazed and humbled by all that they have accomplished. One of my cousins has a daughter in college. Her son will soon graduate high school. She’s now single and works full-time as a media person for the public school system in her city. She is also taking classes and making a fresh start on life, looking for new skills to learn and a new career. Perhaps the most impressive thing she’s doing is working as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. And, when I say she’s a volunteer, I mean she has turned her volunteer work into a second, unpaid job. She often organizes events, coordinates volunteer teams and works harder than anyone else to raise money for a good cause.
The Future Celebrity
To round out this post, I’d like to highlight a new friend I’ve made. As my Facebook contacts know, I’ve been obsessed with the musical “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” during the past year. Sadly, the show’s Broadway run ended yesterday. During its run, Jen and I saw it a few times and had a chance to meet several of the actors and musicians in the show. The young star of the show truly amazed us. Not only is he a talented young actor with incredible comedic timing but he is also a gifted singer and a good-looking young man. Before his show moved to Broadway, he had an opportunity to play a villain in one of the X-Men movies in Hollywood. This talented young man turned down that opportunity and chose to bring his “BBAJ” performance to Broadway. Each time we’ve talked with this young man, Jen and I have been amazed at how soft-spoken, shy and humble he is. He’s in his late 20s and was recently engaged to a young actress, whose mother is one of Hollywood’s biggest A-List stars. The New York theatre critics are raving about his work and many people think he’ll be nominated for a Tony Award for his work as Andrew Jackson. And yet, when you mention this to him, he seems embarrassed by the attention. I sent him a friend request on Facebook, assuming he wouldn’t accept it. I thought I’d try, in hopes of hearing about his future projects so we can see other shows he’s in. Amazingly, he accepted my friend request. How’s that for humble? This young man is on the cusp of big-time celebrity. And, he’s willing to befriend someone he only met a couple of times who admires him as an artist. Pretty classy, eh?
