What's The Diff?

First, let me preface this post. It deals with two tightly intertwined concepts: Cause and effect, or in this case, effect, then cause.

On this Thanksgiving night, we are reading headlines about the second consecutive evening of terrorist attacks in Mumbai; over 125 are already dead, with hundreds of others wounded. Over ten million people in our own country are jobless, and at least 3.5 million more are homeless. We’ve undoubtedly entered a recession; banks and large corporations are plunging like dominoes, and global economies are in peril. Things are largely expected to become worse before they get better. This Thanksgiving, it may seem there is little to be thankful for.

This is where the “effect” part comes in. Even in our darkest, most dismal hours, we are able to see light and find hope—if we’re willing to look hard enough. No, I’m not talking about that bright spot you may have in your day tomorrow if you’re so fortunate (and daring) to score a 50-inch-television for $700 at the Super Jumbo Mart (that’s determination and a bit of naivety—that same TV will probably crop up for $650 the weekend before Christmas, so hold your horses for now). I’m talking about that peculiar little seed inside each of us that gives us the ability to find something positive in every person, in every day, no matter how dark the clouds hovering above. Even during our darkest moments, there is some light to be found, it’s just ours for the finding. Maybe it’s as simple as a glimmer of sunshine peeking through the clouds on a winter morning—maybe it’s even less obvious than that, but it’s there…keep looking.

Bringing ourselves to overcome the negative (and there seems to be a lot of it these days) is not a solo mission. The strongest, most influential people have values instilled in them by strong and influential parents, teachers and mentors—good leaders make other people into good leaders. This is where that “cause” part of this post comes in. Just short of two weeks ago, my good friend Clayton (THE DIFF M.C.) lost his father, Bob, to cancer. Prior to his passing, I had only met and spoke with Bob once. I was always pretty sure Clayton was the most passionate human being I would ever meet in my life—that was until I met Clayton’s dad. Our first and only encounter was following a performance of “Smokey Joe’s Café” by The Park Players in Detroit (Bob was a 30+ year veteran of community theatre).

Continue reading “The Bob Closson Effect” »

Someday, when it’s my time to depart from this world I hope I will
have the same strength and positive attitude that Brenden Foster has
about his last week or so of life. He really is an inspiration to us
all. The video and article below from KOMO says it all about this
courageous little guy:

From KOMO News Seattle:
LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Doctors gave 11-year-old Brenden Foster two weeks to live.Those two weeks were up on Wednesday. On Friday, he shared his last wish.Not yet a teenager, Brenden’s time to die has come.

“I should be gone in a week or so,” he said.

Brenden
was the kid who ran the fastest, climbed the highest and dreamed of
becoming a marine photographer. Leukemia took away all those things,
but not his dying wish to help others.

“He’s always thought about others. Never complained about having to go through this, ever,” said his mother, Wendy Foster.

When Brenden was first diagnosed with leukemia, he and his mom began
a new tradition. Every night they list three positive things that
happened during the day, and they have to share a laugh. A chuckle will
do, Brenden said, but a fake laugh will never do.

In the last days of his life, it was a homeless camp, namely Nickelsville, that captured the boy’s heart.

Continue reading “Brenden Foster’s Last Wish” »