Send Me My Flowers Now

As many of you are finding out, my blessed mother, who is nearly 92yrs of age has roundedthat corner of life. I recieved the call that she was being rushed to the hospital. For the next week theere would be a procession of well-wishers and sincerely interested friends and family members, all of them endeavoring to pay their respects and honor the women they had all come to know as the "Tough old Bird".

As Mom lay there I remembered a profound conversation I recently had with a dear client. She too was interested in the condition of my mom. I told her how confused and somewhat angry I was becoming. Mom was a proud women. She was tough and matt of fact about most of life. If you didn't want her opinion on a subject, then you probably shouldn't ask her. She was the kind of person who would walk up to those young boys who were wearing sagging jeans and pull them up for them.

Mom was truly her own person. You could say all you wanted and her methods but you always knew where you stood with Mom.

That's the Mom I wanted everyone to remember, not the shadow of herself but the vibrant Jamaican Bird. As people paraded into the darkened room and gasped at how far she had fallen all I could think was, "This is wrong!" If you wantec to convey your love and respect to MOM, then you had your chance.

I know it might sound harsh but when my time comes for me to go home please don't be surprised if visitors are not allowed. Spend the time now conveying your love, honor and respect. Send My Flowers Now while I can still appreciate their smell. When I am on deaths door the sweet smell of flowers won't do me any good. So friends Send Me My Flowers now...

The Capacity and Will of Man

As many of you know I've been training for a local marathon here in my home town. What that means is that I get up 3 or 4 times a week and beat the heck out of myself in a effort to condition my body for the ultimate test of endurance that only 1% of the people on this planet are willing to do.
It has been a very rewarding, if not pleasurable experience. Imagine if you will, leaving the cool comfort of a feathery soft bed. You've just gone into act three of a dream that we can't even discuss here in public. The pillow, whom we will call Sheila, is as close to you as the umbilical cord was before you came out of the womb. Ahhh...
Next, you are stretching in the parking lot. The pain of your joints is only eclipsed by the sound of your knees. Crunch, crunch, crunch. The sound briefly reminds you of a bag of Cheetohs.
The next thing you can think about is your lungs burning as you expel last nights revalry. I can recall it was Mexican food and a bottle of Nehi punch. Now all I can hope for is that the heartburn will only last for the first two or three miles, followed by the pressure of gas from the refried beans.

Five miles, then six miles pass as you start to feel a sense of confidence begin to surge within you. You say to yourself, "I can do this, I've gone much farther." Even the uphills seem relatively easy to you because once again you've traveled this road before.
Finally, your goal is in sight. No more need to stress and strain. You couldn't stop now even if you wanted to. Your pride at this point would carry you over the finish line. You imagine now the cool drink of water, the exhileration of knowing you've made the distance and finally, how sweet it will feel to tell everyone that you made your distance.

That is the capacity and will of man to do anything and everything that he puts his mind to. There is nothing that a man cannot do if given the right circumstnces and the right motivation. It is just up to you to figure out what those "WHY" reasons are.

Sherman Ray is a Motivational speaker, author, entreprenuer, radio personality and Founder and President of the Diversity Networking Group. To find out more information on Sherman go to www.ShermanRay.com