Not Running, But Remembering
I didn’t run the 18th Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, but I did a lot of remembering. I ran the first 17 Memorial Marathons and co-founded the race. Every year as the race approached more and more people would ask me, “are you ready to run?” and every year I would say yes. This…
Read MoreA Continuum
“We are a continuum. Just as we reach back to our ancestors for our fundamental values, so we, as guardians of that legacy, must reach ahead to our children and their children. And we do so with a sense of sacredness in that reaching.” Paul Tsongas We recently held the Annual Kimray Shareholder meeting. Over…
Read MoreWe Bought A Sofa
When you raise six kids in a house, things get a little worn. So, when my wife finally decided she wanted a new sofa for the family room I said, “Sure!” Several days of shopping and selecting fabrics (spread over a few weeks) later and the new furniture was on order. The new sofa (two…
Read MoreGood Neighbors
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of…
Read MoreThe Invisible Man
I hope you had a wonderful Easter. While not my favorite holiday by holiday standards (that’s Thanksgiving for me), it is my favorite event by life change standards. It is simple. God loved me enough to send His son to die for me. He knew all about me. He knew all the terrible things I…
Read MoreWhat is Your Ikigai?
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. Howard Thurman Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being.” According to Japanese culture, everyone has one, but finding it can take effort. This effort…
Read MoreNot Guilty
Imagine for a minute that you are the new chief executive officer of a large corporation. You call in your chief financial officer to give you an overview of the company finances, so you can determine what course to take. The CFO comes in with her charts and graphs and explains in great detail the…
Read MoreA Miracle
Wednesday night at 9:37 my granddaughter, Violet Anne, was born. A lovely name for a lovely little girl. Later that evening, as I held her for the first time, she stole my heart. She will have whatever she asks of me or from me, for as long as I live. Holding her and looking at…
Read MoreI’d Give Anything to be a Philanthropist
I told someone the other day that my Grandfather, Garman Kimmell, was a philanthropist. I often include that in my description of him when I am relating some part of our story. However, on this particular occasion I found myself wondering what the other person thought that meant. What does it mean to be philanthropic?…
Read MoreMore Than A Feeling
In 1976, Boston released their self-titled debut album. I was 12. The first track on side one is “More Than A Feeling.” Tom Scholz (who was a complete geek and an engineer who became a rock & roll demi god) sings about it being more than a feeling when he hears some old song they…
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