Time flies by so quickly. It surprises me that I have not posted anything for 10 days. I had thought it was only a couple of days. Last year when I was diagnosed a friend of mine said that before I know it the year would be done and I would be back to normal. The year flew by and I have been cancer free now for a year. Thinking back over the last couple of years I remember all of the people who have come into my life. Most of the people I have met I have maintained a relationship with.
We go camping at Halfway Provincial Park every year and when we go we always see people that we know. We have run into people the kids have been friends with and old friends we have not seen for years. On this trip while driving by I noticed the parents of a friend that I met when I was 16, approximately 30 years ago. She did not live very close to my parents but we would hang out randomly over the years. Her family was fantastic and always very welcoming. One thing I remember was that they would often make all of their food from scratch and since we hung out I would be invited to eat there as well. Now as a teenaged boy I am sure that I ate quite a bit. As I was an unexpected guest a lot of times they were always accommodating and shared. Over the years I have had a lot of friends and family feed me. All of these friends always had family meals where everyone would gather and chat.
I have been extremely lucky in life as a lot of the friendships that I have over my life has extended to being friends with the family as well. Meeting up with her parents it was as if no time had passed and we were talking like it was yesterday. I spent time talking with her parents, her brother and his wife. As we get older the conversations change and evolve but the warmth shown by the people is still the same as when I was a young kid.
I realized that I tend to become friends with people with strong family values. These traits extend beyond immediate family and include friends. No matter what difficulties that I may encounter, I have the support of a large number of people. It had made this journey so much easier.
Summer solstice has just passed and the days are long now. As a leader at work I try and focus on the the relationships with people. I tend to read a lot of leadership material. I reserve a lot of time to develop people as that is very important to me. You always have the opportunity to learn and grow. I have learned a lot from all the friends I have met over the years. Looking back over my life the lesson that was strongest was that no matter what happens, family is always there for you. This was not just my family but all of the families of friends that treated me as part of the family. Not everyone is as lucky as I have been. I am trying to instill this into my team as well…. that no matter what I will be there for them. My job as a leader is to lead them and to guide them. They can manage the work as long as I can help lead them. When you have the loving support of others there is no challenge that is too difficult. No matter how much time passes you can always count on people to help you out.
Q