In yesterday’s post I gave you a link for an awesome short video called "How Do You Live Your Dash." It’s an awesome poem that the creative director put to music and scenery. The poem is about the dash between the years on your tombstone and how it’s not important what year you were born or when you died but what’s most important is the dash between those years - ultimately how you lived your life.

I first heard this poem probably over a decade ago. Today, though, it has much more significant meaning for me than before. That’s because my wife has a tombstone with a dash between the year she was born and the year she died: February 14, 1966 - August 4, 2005. Joanne lived an awesome dash. She birthed our 9 children together all naturally with very little, if any drugs to take away the pain. Each time I asked her how bad the pain was she would answer me with our new born baby in her arms, "I can’t remember."

We went through some tough times together and she was always the strong one. Back in 1998, the first major mortgage crisis in recent memory, I lost 4 jobs in less than a year, all due to company closures. But she always told me, "Hey, we’re going to make it." She was my strength for the journey. Each time we had a new child we’d be fretting over telling our families fearful of their reactions. Joanne would always say, "God gave us all these children and he’ll give us a way to care for them. Who cares what other people think." And he has. Even when I first started in network marketing, she always believed in me despite my lack of belief in myself. It’s true that behind every successful man is a strong woman.

Even before she died she said she’d take care of us all from heaven. I believe she does. We’ve had more help in the form of money, food, friendships, clothing, and rides for the kids to games and after school activities. We don’t have a lot of family close by but we’re being provided for. Our church brings us meals every Tuesday and Thursday - today’s was roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, stir fry veggies, stuffing and an assortment of cookies and pudding for desert. It’s simply amazing. When the girl says she’s going to do something she delivers - even now.

It’s been a rough road the last 2 1/2 years but we’re making it. The kids have done really well. Several of them have been or are in counseling and I did a year of grief counseling myself. I’m proud of the way they’ve handled the situation and the way they’ve matured. They certainly are the center of my very happy, content life.

Every chance I get, when people ask me how I’m doing, I tell them that I believe that life is a giant portrait and while we’re on this earth we only get to see a small portion of that portrait so there’s a lot that we don’t understand. When we die and get to what I believe as a Catholic, our home in eternity, we’ll get to see the rest of the portrait and everything we couldn’t understand here will be revealed to us. That’s why faith in God is so important. He gives us hope that there’s more after this. And I believe there is.

So as sales people we’re going to be faced with a lot of challenges. But when you have hope in something bigger than yourself, a bigger portrait than what you can actually see, your vision is expanded and you’re able to get through the challenge. So go develop your faith. And if you want some help in that area I’d be more than happy to direct you to some resources. God Bless!

I know you can do it and I definitely believe in you!