I received a letter today from a young man who was a friend of my son. (I will give him the alias of Chris) His letter made my day. Chris told Me that I inspired him to work hard in school to be the best person He could be. He reminded Me of a story I used to share with all of the kids that I coached years ago. The story involved my high school graduation party. It was a sunny June day and my parents hosted a Barbeque in our yard. My Uncle Jim came down from Northern Michigan to celebrate with Me. He gave Me the standard graduation card with cash. However, He pulled Me to the side and told Me that the real gift He was giving Me was some good advice. He told Me to focus on getting the best education I could get. Education is a wise investment because it is something that You cannot lose after you attain it. He stressed that material things come and go, but my education will stay with Me for ever. He went on to say You can lose just about anything but a good education will give you the power to recover from most losses.
Chris told Me to follow my uncle's advice, and to rebuild my life using the education I was fortunate enough to receive. I am blessed to have people like Chris send Me words of encouragement and remind Me that I did make a positive impact on his life and the lives of others. (I have had plenty of negative effects on people over the past few years).
When I leave here, expect to see a healthy person who intends to use his education to rebuild his life and have a positive effect on others. My legacy will not end on a negative note, I can assure you of that.
