Crumbs From Your Table

I just got into one of my "contemplative" moods, so beware.

I had to go back through emails I've gotten from Michael to get the address where he and his family have been living ever since Katrina messed up their home, and I ended up scrolling back through the entire series of emails we'd exchanged prior to that event, which ended with a shockingly sobering email from Michael (though it was meant to be humorous at the time), which read, "If I die in this hurricane coming, you can have my trowel." Obviously, he was not serious, but it got me thinking back to those first several days after Katrina hit--I knew that Michael was in New Orleans the entire time, though his family had evacuated, and I was very afraid that he had died. Let's face it, I've spent 6 weeks with the guy and his daughter, but at that moment my fear was so real--it was as if I'd known the Homans for my entire life.

Of course, when I was in Philly last weekend, I got a healthy reminder of why I grew to respect that entire family so much, and why I connected with Michael and Kalypso more than most anyone on that trip (excepting Ben). I have gone through my entire life always carefully thinking about who I would let in, about who I would let stretch me and challenge me, and it seems as if there's been a surplus of that sort of person in my life this year. Over the past several months, the biggest positive (non-family) influences in my life have been:

1. Michael Homan
2. Kalypso Homan
3. Dave Carver
4. Keith Kaufold
5. Conor McCarthy
6. Brian Wallace
7. My Sunday School kids (Robbie, Tyler, Carly, John, David, Cody, Josh)
8. Lauren Hughes

Everyone with whom I come into contact has some sort of an impact on me--that's the nature of relationships, whether good or bad, but these are the people who have touched me in some particular way, or who have boldy challenged me to become the best person that I can be. These are the kind of people who motivate me to be strong because they, themselves, are such fine exemplars of strength in their own ways. None of them is like the others, but they are all amazing people.

And one of them just IMed me. :0)

Bye.