He was one of a kind.

Since my dad was a professor at ND for 21 years, I was all in for the Fighting Irish.

Here is my favorite Lou Holtz story.

ND was playing Southern Cal for the national championship in the Rose Bowl.

Of course, Lou set a curfew for the players the night before the game.

Two of his best players broke curfew and returned to their room very late.

Lou was waiting for them.

He told them to pack their bags because they were going to the airport for a flight back to South Bend.

When the rest of the team woke up on game day, the two best players were gone.

The team was very upset, but Lou told them, “Rules are rules!”

They went on to win that day!

And those players learned a lesson they never forgot!

John Lopez Jr. was a cashier at a Walmart Store in Princeton, Texas.

After he rang up the amount she had to pay, the customer broke down in tears.

She could not pay the $110 amount so John took out his wallet and paid it for her.

A customer in line behind the crying lady took John’s photo (Shown above.)

A resident of Princeton, Texas heard the story and PAID FOR JOHN”S COLLEGE TUITION!

True story!

He has played every position, except catcher, for the Detroit Tigers.

They refer to him as a utility player.

He provides a unique value to the Tigers because they can use him at any position.

In the photo above, he’s running the bases after hitting a home run.

Look at the huge grin on his face.

He’s so happy playing his favorite game.

He grew up in Toledo, Ohio and is a graduate of Central Michigan University.

His salary grew from 1.6 million last season to 4.2 million this season.

So, he’s well worth it. Such fun!

I think you must examine your values.

What will you do and not do?

The best way to make consistent decisions is to consult your values before deciding.

If your decisions reflect your values, you will become more predictable.

Predictable decisions also improve the confidence others have in you.

Something else that leads to good decisions is verification of the facts.

Accurate facts and adherence to your values creates good decisions.

If not today, when.

(Christopher Columbus)

It is a sobering experience.

Suddenly, you feel so small.

There will always be situations in which we must call upon courage.

We are not talking about foolish risks.

Most tests of our courage give us another chance to learn about who we are.

And courage has a cumulative effect on us.

This means failing a challenge could cause future failings.

Successful challenges have the opposite effect.

Courage grows by continuous use.

(Maya Angelou)

Unless you can reach people on an emotional level, you can’t reach them.

Maya Angelou reminds us that the power of words is indeed powerful!

These are exemplified by her book, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.”

And also by her poem, “Still I Rise.”

Why is it that people who suffer greatly are more effective in revealing the true human condition?

Because their message is authentic!

(Henry Ford)

Each of us is a self-fulfilling Prophesy.

Everything you accomplish is a reflexion of your belief in yourself.

This blog’s title is a quotation from Henry Ford.

I’m sure Henry Ford had many days when the task seemed overwhelming.

There is a child’s saying that goes “I think I can, I thought I could!”

You are either the obstacle or the benefactor of your future.

Give yourself the opportunity to be all you can be.

You deserve it!

Now that the government has made measles vaccines optional, we are seeing the spread of measles again.

Surprise! Surprise!

And the doctors we rely on don’t know what to do!

This is because they have never seen the disease before.,

So, here we are, a country that eradicated measles many decades ago seeing kids dying from measles.

Go figure!!

It’s not fair, it is DISLOYAL.

All your life, you should only say positive things to others about your spouse.

Marriage vows are the biggest promise you’ll ever make to another.

You intentionally or unintentionally break those vows when you utter a disloyal word.

My synonym for the word “MARRIAGE” is “TRUST.”

If you dislike an annoying habit your spouse has, it must be discussed privately!

Surely, your spouse has some good attributes.

Shout them to the world!

A tough question.

This is not a perfect world and we are not perfect either.

We should not draw up conditions for our love.

If so, we are putting HEART CUFFS on our willingness to go all in.

There will always be differences big and small.

A commitment of going 60% of the way is a recommended goal of a solid marriage.

Current statistics tell us 50% of 1st marriages end in divorce. (G)

In 2nd marriages it is 67% and in 3rd it is 73%.

In place of conditions perhaps guidelines should be established for serious discussions or getting professional help .

There is also a program for help with marriage called Marriage Encounter which is available in most areas.

Marital love must be freely given and always ready to be tweeked to keep it happy and alive.

If not today, when?