Last night I got a frantic call from my sister, the mother of my nephew Jeremy (20). He was in the hospital with what was thought of as a stroke. It was just the previous Saturday night that Jeremy and I hung out and went to see Get Him to the Greek. It was a stupid but enjoyable funny movie about nothing really. Something to laugh about and enjoy with a friend.
So this morning, after my boxing workout at 7 am and a quick shower at my mom's house, I rushed out to see Jeremy. It seems that he did not have a stroke, but did need tests to see what made him dizzy when he fell last night. He also has slurred speech (maybe it was the Dodgers blowing the game that caused him to have a medical episode). All kidding aside, when I got to the hospital he was unconscious as they wheeled him back to his room. When he woke up he was mobile with no apparent side effects, and I was relieved. When my wife Theresa showed up, I took off as things were looking good (pending the results of the tests).
Prior to Saturday night, I had been traveling with Theresa. We went to Washington DC and helped my son Sam get settled into his apartment for his two-month government internship. Then we came home for 3 days and left for Portland, Seattle and Victoria Canada. When we finally got home, I felt like I was gone for months. We did so much and had so much fun. But it was so nice to get back home. I missed everything about L.A.
When I left the hospital, I visited my Dad's resting place (it was just down the road). I wanted to say hi and share with him stories about my life. I wound up thanking him for all the wisdom and life lessons he shared with me. The last lesson that he shared is an inspiration that continues to be a teacher for me. It is what he left as a message to everyone he ever had the pleasure to share a moment of his life with:
Glad you came by. Be a winner.
Think creatively and help others.
You must try in order to enjoy tomorrow.
I taught my wife, 4 kids and grand-kids to analyze, be creative and be honest.
Don't be greedy.
I have come to respect my Dad more and more even with him gone. Sometimes we don't appreciate the people in our lives until they are gone. His lessons are so ingrained in me that I find myself asking "What would Dad do in this situation?" The answers come from his interactions with people. He expected much from everyone he did business with, and he made them stand on their own with his support in the background. He made all of his partners wealthy and had their unending respect. I watched him in business give those with questionable character enough chances and rope so to speak until he made a decision to continue to do business with them or move on.
We are in uncharted waters with the current economy. And in those waters we are all in the same boat. Some with more or less resources than the other, but what we do have is our character. There will be some people that can not deal with the "new reality", as my friend Sam Rosenwald calls the current market. They will look for quick money or choose dollars over relationships. This is common during times of trouble and fear. It is in these times that our work ethic, our loyalty and honesty are challenged most.
Having a mentor like my father made the difference for me to do what is right and stand for something. This is why Major Properties, a 47 year old firm, still stands tall today. The foundation was built with integrity and out of respect I vow to preserve those values and dreams. This is what clients of up to 50 years remember, and why they continue to call our firm again and again. They all know that we will take their interest first, and over time we will help them profit with sound advice to get through these stormy waters.
I will pray today that Jeremy is okay and will back on the pitcher's mound soon. Thanks for reading and have a great and safe remainder of 2010.
