I have a speaking engagement tomorrow. I will be teaching a room full of my peers how to speak better. It’s something I am excited about, and I am approaching it with a fair amount of respect. I want to do a good job. I want them to hear the core of my message. Words have power. Don’t believe me? Keep reading.

It was January 12, 2018, I was lying on my office floor in the most pain I’ve ever been. I didn’t know what to do. I got up from the floor with one thought in mind, make it home. I made it out to my car and out onto the highway. Home wasn’t an option. Thank God for Siri and directions to the emergency room.

I had no idea what was wrong. I just knew I was hurting in my lower left back. They took me back for a CT scan. I can still remember clearly the doctor walking in to give me the news… There was a 13 cm tumor in between my kidney and my bladder.

Fast forward a month, I was in the oncologist office. He was examining the test results from my latest blood test. My tumor marker which normally was under six, was at 11,500. He told me I had to begin treatment immediately. I would be staying in the hospital for one week stints several times over the next few months

In retrospect, it all happened so fast I almost didn’t know what to do. I prayed. I asked God to heal me. He answered my prayer through the dedicated care of my doctor and other doctors and nurses. For that I am eternally grateful. After four weeklong chemo therapy sessions , and several radiation sessions, I was cancer free.

It’s by the grace of God I’m here. It is also because of the dedication of a few highly trained and very specialized doctors. They used their vast knowledge and treated me with cutting edge treatments. They looked after me at my lowest points and took care of me. I am so thankful for the doctors and nurses that helped me survive 2018.

I can almost guarantee you there is a situation in your life where you were the doctor that I just described. Your excellence and your commitment to what you do ensures the health of those around you and to the endeavors you undertake. You are needed. You are valuable. If you are reading this, please know that God has a divine purpose for your life. He wants to use you to do good for His sake and for others.

Words have power. If you’ve read these words, I hope you understand that you have power too. You have power to do good, and be the influence for good, and for God in this world. Just like my doctors helped me, you have people you can help today to make a better future.

I don’t have many words today. Just a thought I would like to leave with you.

Love on the people you are close to. Remind them what they mean to you. Never take a moment for granted.

A coworker lost his wife yesterday. They had just had a baby a few months back. My heart is torn for him and his family. I am praying for his heart and for the days ahead.

I am going to stop writing and hug my wife now.

We did something the other day that we haven’t done in years. We went bowling. It was a good time. I haven’t been bowling since they started keeping score digitally. That was pretty cool. I remember having to keep score back in the day with a golf pencil. I like this better.

While we were at the alley, we listened to a mixture of country and oldies tunes. Most of what was playing was country from the 90s. That is the good stuff. I grew up listening to Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Clint Black and all the others. I knew most of the words to the songs that were playing. I was having a great time.

A few songs in my boy announces to me that all country singers sound the same. I will admit, I have had that thought about a lot of new country. Most of the things I have heard on the radio has a very similar sound. It is that way now because that is what sells. Back in the day, I would have never said that Clint Black and Alan Jackson sounded anything like one another. Unheard of.

One of my favorites back in the day was Travis Tritt. From Country Club to TROUBLE, I loved it every time his music came on the radio. It was down home and singable. I still sing along 30 years later.

One song he sang stands out more than the others: It’s a Great Day to Be Alive. The line that stood out to me said, “The suns still shining when I close my eyes.” I have found that most of my days are like this if I focus on the important things in my life: my faith, my family, my friends. It is only when I take my eyes off of these things that the sky starts to cloud up.

God has given us today to live and to do good. I believe that with everything that I am. So, I choose to do the good He would have me do. It is a great day.

I have made it two weeks in my 100 day journey. It hasn’t been as hard as I expected it to be. Somewhere inside I knew that it wouldn’t be, but I am still a little surprised. Surprised in a good way.

Here are a few observations from the first 14 days of my 100 day journey:

1. Following an exercise plan gets easy when you do it for a while. I used to struggle with working out. I prioritized everything else before it. Not any more. I have been steady at the gym for over a year now. This has been the cornerstone of my daily habits. It feels good to be able to say it. Make it a priority and it gets much easier.

2. Tracking my food is not as hard as I have made it out to be. Sure, it takes time, but it also cuts the unknown out. If I have a calorie goal and track my calories, I know whether I make it or bust it. If I have a goal and don’t track things…you know the rest. Tracking things is part of being successful. I want to be successful, so I have to make it a priority.

3. Reading a chapter a day has been a good thing. It is a little goal that is easily achieved. It also comes with a hook…most days I listen to more than that because I get interested in what I am listening to. I have already learned a ton in 14 days. Why didn’t I do this before?

4. Writing is still hard. Many days this is the last thing left on my to do list. I have gotten it done for 14 days now, but I need to make it a priority earlier in the day. Or, at least before I get in bed. Being lucid is not easy when your brain is trying to shut down for sleepy time. I am dedicated to getting better at this. The more I write, the more that gets unlocked. I just need to find the right time in the day to do it.

5. Drinking enough water a day is a game changer. I think there are a ton of folks out there that are chronically dehydrated and don’t even know it. I was one of them. Not anymore. I still drink a fair amount of coffee a day, but I have put in my 100 ounces daily. I can feel the difference.

6. I have been taking a photo a day to show my progress. I looked through them earlier. Not much has changed. I have dropped 6 pounds, which makes me happy. I know this will start to pay off, but right now it just looks like the same dude in different lighting looking the same.

7. Encouraging people is fun. I am glad I put this on the list of daily things to accomplish. I do this naturally throughout my day, but for this challenge I have wanted to make a habit of sending written notes. I am going to have to make a list of folks to write notes to. I won’t be able to do this randomly for 100 days. I want to be intentional with it and I am excited to keep going.

Nothing worth doing is ever easy. The plan is a simple one, but it is going to take work and execution. However, I am up to the challenge. 100 days will be here before I know it. I can’t wait to see the progress and the changes it will bring.

I got a memory reminder on Facebook this week. It was a picture taken six years ago of my and my boy with my dog Sam. It made me smile.

Sam was a good dog. Crazy. Neurotic. Cuddly. Handsome. I loved him very much and was upset with him a lot too.

Like most of the other dogs we have had, we got Sam from a rescue shelter. I remember the day clearly. It was my 34th birthday. We went to the shelter and walked into a big room where Sam was penned up. He barked at me until I looked at him and said, “Yeah? What you going to do about it?” He stopped barking and turned his head at me. That was what sold me.

Sam being a rescue dog gives me context for some of his crazier habits. He did not like loud noises or being confined. He had some stuff in his past that made him the way he was. I am convinced of it. I did my best to love that out of him. It helped, but he never could quite shake it.

One time we left him closed up in my office so he wouldn’t mess all over the house. He proceeded to dig up the carpet by my door. He left a huge hole. He let us know he did not like being left in that room.

Sam also had a super sweet side. When I was sick in 2018 Sam spent a lot of time with me on the couch. He would hang with me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was great therapy. He was a cuddly guy.

I was happy to have the memory pop up. I miss that dog.