Freaky Good Man

For some reason my ass is not suppose to get to California anytime soon. I should be on a plane right now headed to San Diego. Instead I am here at my house typing in my blog in a t-shirt and boxer briefs. I am here for two reasons; one is that our San Diego event didn’t turn out to have as many registrations as we thought. So it was just smart for me to stay here instead of spending the money to fly, get a hotel and rental car. Our business associate that is in Cali can handle the number of registrations we had solo, so no big deal. Other than I wanted to go chill on the beach and hangout. Secondly my business partner buried his grandfather today and I wanted to show some support. That explains the t-shirt and boxer briefs. I just got in from the funeral and got directly out of my suit.

This funeral was not one of those boo hoo funerals. The family was sad, but he had lived a long life and had really declined in health. The funeral did make me reflect on a few things personally, which I think funerals can do. But, I was a bit surprised, as I had no real connection to my business partner’s grand dad other than a few words he mentioned.

This gentleman had led an exemplary life. The Bishop who spoke the message brought it all home very eloquently. He talked about what good is it to live and not to have an impact on the world. By that, he didn’t mean an impact like discovering electricity or anything monumental along those lines. He meant simply being a positive influence to others within your family and community. The seeds that you plant within your inner circle can spread out to the ones that they are in contact with and your positive influence spreads exponentially.

There were several things that really made me reflect. The church setting, was one. The church that the funeral was held is one of Atlanta’s oldest. It’s been around since 1885. Just the thought of the struggle that has gone on with African Americans that this church has been a pillar for through the years. It made me really think about the change of the focus we have now. People made sacrifices for their race back when this church was becoming the landmark that it is today. People knew it was a “we” struggle and not an individual struggle. There was a purpose for the struggle other than monetarily. We are standing on the backs of sacrifice and we take it for granted. Because, we don’t have a vision as a people now, we have been splintered off into our own little individual homes and communities. There is no sense of uplifting each other anymore.

It’s strictly a money chase now and it’s unfortunate. Don’t get me wrong, there is not a damn thing wrong with accumulating wealth. But, if the only purpose to accumulate it is to just buy fancy things, it’s a waste.

The other thing that really stood out is that my business partner’s grand dad had a real sense of community. He made some family sacrifices in order to advance the community in education and politics. But, it’s not to say he didn’t do a lot for his own family. He made sure that his family had the opportunity to travel and see the world outside of their immediate surroundings in Atlanta. It really shows in the 5 children that he has, that are very good stewards of their families.

My final thought is that life has to be more than about me and my goals. If you don’t live your life for the bigger picture, are you truly living life? Be an impact to someone’s life other than yours and your children. However, be mindful that home is a great place to start and can never be neglected.

One thing I will add here instead of writing another entry. I was so impressed by the word that was brought today that I went up to the Bishop that spoke to ask him where he preached. Unfortunately (for me) he was a true Bishop. He was no longer in the pulpit; he was a true Bishop that over saw several churches. You know, now days, people call themselves Bishops just to have the title. Although he doesn’t preach at one church anymore he did give me his card and told me to call him. He said he had one or two congregations in my area that he would recommend.

Now here is the devil coming in acting up. The Bishop gave me his card and told me to be sure to call him so he could recommend a church. Then he said call me on this number and pointed to his home phone number. Now I truly don’t mean to be cynical, but why in the hell do I need to call the Bishop at his home number, when he has an office. Something in my spirit didn’t sit well with that.