Part II of II
Time Capsule – Two of our traditions are watching schlocky Hallmark Christmas movies (this year beginning October 21) and listening to holiday music while trying to avoid getting ‘Whammed!’ (I made it to December 15.) The thing about Christmas songs is whenever a classic plays, I’m magically transported back to my childhood, as golden oldies unlock the joys of Christmas past. Singers like Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis and Brenda Lee bring back memories of being at home with my parents, older brothers and little sister.
Never Assume – In October I was scheduled for an individual Birkman debriefing with a team member from one my group sessions. She didn’t join the Zoom call, so after 20 minutes, I sent an email: “Seems we had a misconnection today. I look forward to speaking soon. Please let me know everything is ok.” When she hadn’t responded two weeks later, I emailed the client sponsor to let him know. Within five minutes I received a reply that shocked me. This young mother, who was pregnant with her second child, suffered an aneurism the afternoon of our scheduled session and never regained consciousness. I immediately called him and listened quietly as he expressed how difficult those two weeks were on their team. Sometimes sitting in silence is the best gift.
Slipping Away – Walking 18 holes of golf is the equivalent of a 10K, so in March I purchased a pushcart to carry my clubs and stopped riding. This month, I hit my tee shot left on the par three, sixth hole, and as I pushed the cart around a lake, saw my ball nestled at the edge of the trees. I grabbed it, took a penalty drop, and turned around to choose a club. When I didn’t see my bag, I thought: “Where did I leave the cart?” I looked down a hill and into the lake. The bag and cart were floating eight feet out. (The next words out of my mouth are unprintable.) I took off my shoes and waded out to retrieve everything, then sat on the hill laughing before walking back toward my car and emptying a lot of water on the grass. Other than ruining my rangefinder, there was no long-term damage… just an important reminder: always set the brake!
Loyal Servant – Kathy just completed three elected terms and 12 years as a volunteer member of the Tomball ISD board of trustees, during which student enrollment nearly doubled to 20,000. Last year, the Houston Chronicle named TISD the top school district in the area. When another board member approached her to run in 2010, I asked how much time it would require: “Two nights a month,” he said. While that was true – and she attended 258 out of 264 meetings – he didn’t mention all the prep, sub-committees, community events, CEUs and other commitments. A quick back-of-the-napkin calculation totaled more than 4,000 hours. With a daughter who’s a high school English teacher, you can see educating youth is a high priority in our house.
Gift Giving – Kathy’s proudest achievement was championing creation of the Tomball Education Foundation. The mission of this independent nonprofit is to develop and allocate resources to enrich, enhance and maximize the quality of education for all students. Since 2018, they’ve distributed more than $225,000 to 68 district employees. One of this year’s recipients is a counselor who asked for financial support to help younger students that struggle to communicate. With the grant she purchased multicultural puppets that students interact with to develop greater self-awareness. If you are able, please consider supporting education in your local community.
I’ll conclude, as always, with a quote about the wonder of the season: “There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.” ~ Eric Sevareid
Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Seasons Greetings. May the year ahead bring many blessings to you and your family… and continued success in all things.
