Everybody has events that occur that change their lives. It could be meeting someone special, it could be accomplishing some task or it could be a revelation about the meaning of life. Yep, everyone has occasions that shape their lives.
For example, my Grandpa Chalk (Bucky's dad) died prematurely in 1946 of a stroke. It changed my Dad's life and subsequently my life. My Dad lived the rest of his life hating the man his mother remarried. The hatred permeated everything in our lives. Bucky felt he had been deprived of the family business. It was a significant event.
My Dad dying at age 37 was traumatic. Christopher has already lived longer than my Dad and Paul is approaching that young age. When I view my Dad's death in that context, it is unbelievable. It was a significant event.
Meeting your mom changed my life. It shaped the way my life was to develop. What can one say! It was magic. It was significant. The story is still being written.
There were job accomplishments that changed my life. I remember holding a meeting with supervisors at Vollrath to help them solve department problems (as an engineer that was one of my responsibilities). I remember the owner of the company asking if he could sit in on the meeting. The subject was quality of stainless castings in the foundry. The meeting turned into a major revelation of what was causing defects and it resulted in a program that probably saved millions of dollars over the years. And the owner of the company got to take part in the solution. My life changed after that day.
I figured out how to get steel manufacturers to do a cooperative effort wtih Vollrath to fight imports in the early 70's. It resulted in millions of savings over the years. Significant! I ended up President.
I joined a group of business leaders around the state called TEC. At the time it seemed like an information sharing group but it connected me to lots of influencial people and provided the network for finding future jobs. Significant!
You usually are not aware of the nature of a life altering event until many years later. It is a form of "the 5 most important people you will meet in heaven".
Of course the birth of each of 5 Grasshoppers was life altering. Each of you brought something different. Each has affect my life in a different way. The story is not finished. Significant things events are yet to come.
Make your own list. There are things that have happened in your life that have changed it forever. "Those things" are many times subtle and simple.
I close this blog on the longest day of the year. It is also by the way, your mother's birthday. I'm sure you all remembered. Happy Birthday Shelby!
Love,
Dad