Nothing Is More Important

NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT

I sat next to the bed of an old man, a friend for over twenty years,
and held his hand. Hal was dying. We both knew these next few days
would be his last.

We spent time reminiscing about his long and fruitful career as a
church pastor. We talked about old friends. We chatted about his
family. And I listened as he offered sage wisdom and advice to a
member of a "younger generation."

At a lull in the conversation, Hal seemed to carefully consider what
he was about to say next. Then he squeezed my hand, gazed intently
into my eyes and whispered, just loud enough for me to hear, "Nothing
is more important than relationships." I knew that this was somehow
near the pinnacle of his life's learnings. As he considered all of his
experiences - personal, professional, spiritual and family -- this one
ultimate observation surfaced above the rest: "Nothing is more
important than relationships."

"Don't get overly caught up in your career," he seemed to be saying to
me. "Likewise, don't use people in order to achieve your goals, then
throw them away. No project, no program, no task should be pursued at
the expense of friends and family.

"Remember," I heard him saying, as clearly as if he were speaking the
words, "that in the end, only your relationships will truly matter.
Tend them well."

Writer Og Mandino puts it this way: "Beginning today," he said, "treat
everyone you meet as if he or she were going to be dead by midnight.
Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can
muster, and do so with no thought of any reward. Your life will never
be the same again."

At the end of a long life, my friend Hal would have agreed.


Steve Goodier Publisher@... is a professional
speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his site for
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