Yesterday, I was golfing with a friend of mine and he asked me, “How are you doing Murph… Got any fun trips planned?” In an instant I thought about this trip I have been begging my wife to go on with me as a celebration of my 40th birthday. Very rarely do we get time alone together. Now a day’s… The only time we see each other is just before our heads hit the pillow. I look at her — she looks at me — and we say, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Like two ships passing in the night. You know the other is there but, you’re both so focused on navigating the dark and the fog that you pass without a sound. I have been tracking flights to San Francisco. Man they are cheap. I saw one the other day for $250 per ticket round trip. I don’t fly a ton but, usually take 1–3 trips a year and I have never seen tickets this cheap. Man, I need to jump on these. So, I keep emailing her, let’s go, let’s make this happen, we deserve it, we need some alone time, etc…. Murph, I love you — you know that. I would love nothing more than to take this trip to San Francisco. I have always dreamed of being there with you, sipping wine, seeing the amazing sights and enjoying a romantic time with the guy I love more than anything.” BUT!!!! We don’t have anyone willing to take care of Shanley for more
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4:30am, sitting here, I am lost in this picture as I put myself in their shoes. On the bottom of a mountain looking up and all I see is jagged rocks, big boulders (That could drop at anytime), cracks or traps as we like to call them — (Catch your foot or leg in one and potentially break it) get caught in one… it’s a potential setback. I can feel the struggle as their legs are burning. I can hear deep fast breathing as their lungs begin to burn and doubt creeps into their mind. “I don’t know if I can make it.” each one of them is saying. I am thinking to myself, “It’s times like these when you find out what you are really made of.” Looking up the mountain after every step… it seems as if you are not even moving, it seems like the top is getting farther and farther away. Upon each new plateau you realize there is another summit. All along the way you are thinking, “Why am I doing this. There has to be an easier way.” As I shut my eyes, a new vision enters my mind. It’s a picture of me: Sitting behind this computer writing to you. Struggling to find new guests for our podcast each and every week. Pushing hard to find new projects for our development company. Innovating new ways to grow EHRConstruction.com so we can help more families make their dreams come true. Helping friends who trust in us
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“Hey kid, you and I both know you’re a top player on this team. Hell, you might even be one of the best defenseman in the league. But, if you don’t change your attitude I’ll cut ya off the team next year when you come back. “ The words of coach Marlin Muylaert — who changed my life. That summer I went home questioning who I had become as a person. Questioning how I got to be the man I was. Why… am I so negative about the sport I love, a team of guys I care for. Attitude problem… What attitude problem?. “We can’t have you being negative. It’s like a disease in the locker room. Your teammates look up to you.” These were specific things coach said I needed to work on. “Positive Things Happen To Positive People” Marlin said to me; as I left his office for summer break. Questions just came flooding through my mind and I had to find answer FAST! Over the course of my 2001 summer I promised myself one thing. You are going to do whatever it takes over the next 12 months to change your attitude. How will you know if you actually accomplished your goal? Coach will tell you. If he doesn’t notice an attitude adjustment… you failed. The summer of 2001 I began reflecting on everything I had done leading up to my meeting with coach. I realized my whole life growing up rarely was I ever on a losing team.
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Excuse me… I am new to the University. I have never used email — can you show me how, please? “Damn this email sucks! People keep messaging me, they won’t pick up their damn phone and want a response the same day. I hate this email crap!” words I can remember clear as day from my old man growing up in the 1990’s. At my house computers were looked at as a pain in the ass and nothing but a piece of plastic. My father was a face-to-face guy. As a salesman, he needed to see your face, hear your voice and feel your energy. This is what made him great. Needless to say that left the rest of us never really knowing what a computer was. There were no computers at the Murphy house during my childhood. sure, I played around with the slow DOS Mac or PC in school back then. Playing Oregon Trail and loving every minute of it. Thinking this is the coolest thing ever. But, back then the computer was like an embryo in your mothers stomach. Just an idea trying to find its way into this world. Actual computers, as we know them today, didn’t really get going until the late 1990’s. At least that’s how I remember it. So, when the time came to pursue my college degree I realized really fast what a computer was — email was my fist real introduction. I’ll never forget walking into the computer lab shortly after arriving to college. It
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Inspiring those around her to do big things 5am, at the gym, while grinding it out on the elliptical machine something suddenly came over me. Tears started rolling down my cheek as I look back on 2016 and lessons my daughter Shanley taught me, well both my daughters for that matter.  Most, in this situation would look around the room to see if anyone saw them crying. Others, would put their head down to hid their tears while grabbing a towel to quickly wipe them away so nobody could see or judge them as weak. I, wore these tears as a badge of honor. They are tears of pride and joy – for my 5 year old daughter taught me lessons about being a leader only she could.  Lessons like “Leaders don’t hide dad.” This came when I felt guilt for talking so much about type 1 diabetes this year. Feeling so much passion about spreading the word and showing people what it means to fight the fight.  I began thinking about Shay. I remember walking upstairs after writing an article and posting it on Facebook.  “Sarah, do you think it is right – posting all of this stuff about diabetes and telling these stories about Shanley? She’s only 5… she really doesn’t understand what I am doing or why I am doing it. Do you think I should try explaining it to her and finding out what she thinks?” So many questions were going through my head that day.
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You are about to embark on a journey with me into a world I have never known. To a place where everyone is open and the bars of society have been removed. To a place where everyone is free to make their own judgments, their own choices, their own definition of FREEdom. On this journey you will learn about a man who strives to be different and make a difference in the lives of those he has the honor of serving and calling “Friend.” You will read of stories from my life’s journey and how I have been impacted by those who cross my path. You will get a true understanding of my character, my mission in life and my dreams. Why?  I believe telling stories is the key to learning and understanding one’s self. It is the key to opening doors for others around you allowing them access to a place you would otherwise hold secret. Stories are the key to creating a connection with You. In this day and age of technology, rapid change and never ending floods of data. Humans, You & Me, struggle to slow down, look around, take a deep breath and embrace the moment. So many of us don’t take time to realize just how lucky we are. Just how many life experiences we have had which shaped us into the person we are today. We see our Parents, now grandparents when they look at our children with that 1,000 mile stare…. It is
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