THE BLOG

Twenty five years ago life was going along great for her and her husband Don.  Both of them were in the prime of life in their mid-50’s when suddenly their worlds were turned upside down – his literally.  Don was involved in a one car accident where his car flipped, and he was left suspended upside down by his seatbelt for 90 minutes.  He survived the accident, but as a quadriplegic. 

One of the most incredible moments in college graduation commencement history occurred on May 19, 2019, at Morehouse College, a liberal arts college in Atlanta, GA. The guest speaker for the commencement was Robert Smith, founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, an investment firm which helped make Smith a billionaire five times over. Having received an honorary doctorate just moments earlier, making him a member of the class of 2019, he stunned the graduates and their families when he announced in his address, “On behalf of the eight generations of my family that have been in this country, we’re going to put a little fuel in your bus. This is my class, 2019. And my family is making a grant to eliminate their student loans.” The nearly 400 graduates had accumulated nearly $40 million dollars in student loans, making the gift the largest in school history.

A few years back I had an exercise regimen that consisted of walking four miles as fast as my short legs could take me, four to five days a week. One day to change things up I decided to walk through a neighborhood I’d never walked in. About a quarter of a mile into the subdivision my worst fear was realized. Accompanied by a bark and growl that let me know his intention was not to offer me a bottle of water, a medium sized dog (we’ll call him Brutus) came charging at me across his yard. I braced for the worst because the last thing I wanted was for Brutus to do a taste test on one of my calves.