One of my favorite speeches of all time comes from the 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking, Ed Tate. His speech titled “One of Those Days” Is both insightful and humorous. Unfortunately, for me and my family, it’s been one of those weeks.

Last Sunday, my 18-year old daughter Kelli went to the emergency room with a severe asthma attack. When I say severe, I mean it. She stayed in the hospital for three days. If you are a parent, you know the terror you feel when your child’s life is in any kind of danger. Fortunately, she received fantastic aid from the hospital and will be fine. One of the hard parts is that this was her last week of classes and she is set to graduate Saturday. We are praying that she will be allowed to participate.

The irony of the moment is not lost on me. It’s a very emotional thing to be in an emergency situation. It’s also an emotional time when your youngest daughter graduates from high school. Of course that means TWO kids in college but I digress.

Life goes by fast. It only seems like yesterday when my kids were graduating from pre-school. Now they are fine young ladies who are starting to lead their own lives without our help. Kelli’s scare brings that reality even closer.

For me, I needed to take stock in my priorities. Yes, I’ve been fortunate to spend a lot of time with my daughters and being involved in their lives. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t take a lot of things for granted. This medical scare and the pending graduation is a reminder to me to savor the “ordinary” times with your family – playing a game of cribbage, watching a movie, or simply driving to church together. Our careers, obligations, and material possessions are important, but not as important as our family.

I had the opportunity to learn how to run a speaking business from Ed Tate. One thing I will always remember is him saying that our inventory is our time. As true as that is about our careers, it’s as much true about our families.

I know I’m going to work harder at keeping mine stocked. What about you?

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