Life Lessons

Life is full of lessons to be learned.  If you are lucky, you only have to learn them once, twice if there is a slip up, or three or more if you are just to hard headed to learn, adapt or change.  Dang, there is a lesson right there!


I've been blessed to have had some mighty good people cross my path that have influenced me, one way or another.  Here are a few.

In the 6th grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Guy  at Belzoni Elementary, back before private schooling.  Mrs. Guy was one tuff cookie, and everybody feared that first day of school when you entered 6th grade, would she be the one you got?  I learned from her to always select the teachers that made you work harder.  It make you appreciate them more when you got one that didn't care as much or didn't push you near as hard.  After Mrs. Guy, I never feared going to the next grade or the next life adventure ever again.

Mr. Howell, my scoutmaster, growing up, picked me to be the junior assistant scout master.  On trips to Shiloh National Military Park, I never got past walking the first four trails.  I walked the same paths with the younger scouts, leading them through their walk through history, and showing them how to find the answers to the trail guide questionaire.  I thought, damn!  I'm missing out on the adventures that lay ahead on those other trails with the older guys.  Later I learned to appreciate learning through a younger set of eyes, watching and helping the new crop of first time trail walkers.  These lessons helped me later when I was called to lead others in the business world.

Mr. Jack Sutphen was my first employer right after I graduated from college with my accounting degree.  I learned more about the accounting profession in the first six months working with him compared to four years of schooling, or time spent at my other jobs during my working career.  Work hard, do your best, and the rest will come easy.  He was right.  In all my years of working, I never had to ask for a raise.

Jimmy Thompson, an entomologist in the Delta, took a chance on me during two summers of my college years.  He taught you what to look for, showed you how to do it, then dropped you off, with the expectation of receiving a full report when he picked you up.  He later used me in his tree service business.  I learned how to deal with customers, and how to work independently with little or no supervision.

My last college summer, I worked in the local community.  The town paid me $250  to help with the minor league and little league baseball programs.  I wasn't much of a baseball player after little league growing up.  When I went to get my drivers licence, I learned that I needed glasses.  No wonder I couldn't see or adjust to those fly balls in pony league!  The time spent with these boys at the baseball park that summer was time I'll never forget.  It taught me to have patience with others as they are learning.  Granted, that patience did grow thin over the years and I catch myself being impatient now in training new assembly techs.  When my boys started playing sports, all those earlier experiences came back to the surface when it was my turn to be "Coach Dad".

My good friend John Everett, caught me by surprise during year four of being a soccer dad with son #1.  John called me after soccer registration and said "if you don't step up and coach these boys, there are 12 young men that won't get to play."  That hit me right in the throat.  Growing up, my Dad was seldom there, because work always came first.  How could I not do it.  For the next two years I was miserable, trying to coach while wanting to be just a dad to Matthew.   But, now, I wouldn't trade those two years for a million dollars.  I learned to appreciate the game of soccer, it prepared me for when it was man cub's turn, and to never stand close to a soccer mom in the heat of the game!

My most valuable lesson was learned at age 12.  I was out on the farm, helping reload the planter that spring.  My grand father told me that I was "a worthless piece of crap "  since my butt wasn't on a tractor.  Our relationship died then and there.  I didn't "do farming" after that, and I was bound and determined to do something other than farming with the rest of my life. All things considered, I think things turned out ok.

Both my boys are now adults.  I hope that they have picked up my few good traits  and left the bad ones way behind.  Time will tell.  Fingers crossed......